This notice is from the archives of The Notice Board. Information contained in this notice was accurate at the time of publication but may no longer be so.
The University of Lethbridge extends its sincere condolences to the family, friends and former colleagues of President Emeritus Dr. John Woods who passed away on Thursday, Aug. 15 at the age of 87.
Woods served as president of ULethbridge from 1979 to 1986. During his presidency, Woods acted upon his vision of the University as an institution of outstanding academic quality and standards and sought faculty appointments of the highest quality. Woods was a member of the founding generation of the academic field of Argumentation Theory, and a famous argumentation theorist himself. This is especially relevant to ULethbridge's liberal education philosophy, as Argumentation Theory is the academic field dedicated to researching critical thinking — a pillar of liberal education. He presided over the building of the Centre for the Arts and the Max Bell Regional Aquatic Centre, and the University of Lethbridge Art Collection grew at an unprecedented rate. In 1986, Woods returned to his first love – teaching. He remained an esteemed faculty member at the University of Lethbridge until 2002.
Woods obtained a bachelor’s and a master’s in philosophy at the University of Toronto and a PhD in philosophy at the University of Michigan. His first appointment was at the University of Toronto, followed by the University of Victoria and the University of Calgary, where he was the founding dean of humanities.
During his career, Woods wrote or co-authored almost 20 books and was director of the Abductive Systems Group and honorary professor of logic at the University of British Columbia at the time of his passing. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Fellow of the Charles S. Peirce Society. Additional honours include receiving the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and the Alberta Centennial Gold Medal.
A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at St. Augustine’s Church, 2028 West 7th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, on Wednesday, Aug. 28, at 11 a.m. The University will lower its flag in honour of Woods on that day. A full obituary can be found here.
Contact:
caroline.zentner | caroline.zentner@uleth.ca