James Bryan Newman IV – Captain, United States Army

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We are saddened by the unexpected death of our colleague Jim Newman in New York, on May 24, 1999.

Jim Newman was a clinical neuropsychologist with a longstanding interest in the neural correlates of consciousness. He has done more than anyone else in recent years to revive interest in thalamocortical mechanisms of consciousness, and to develop our understanding of that very central and biologically basic part of the brain. In 1996 he led the first ‘electronic seminar’ of the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness (ASSC) on that subject, and was due to present a workshop on it at the London, Ontario, meeting of the ASSC two weeks after his untimely death. His loss deprives us of the most active advocate for subcortical sources of conscious experience.

Jim was a selfless contributor to the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness, serving on its Board of Directors for two years, and coordinating the series of electronic seminars with up-to-date public colloquies between researchers on frontier topics. He presented a number of papers at the Tucson conferences and elsewhere, and was a creative collaborator on several writing projects, including a book of Essential Readings in the Scientific Study of Consciousness with Bernard Baars, now in press with MIT Press/Bradford Books. He was on the editorial board of Consciousness & Cognition. His recent articles in that journal and in the Journal of Consciousness Studies were outstanding pieces of work. He was also very supportive of Psyche, reviewing articles and always willing to offer helpful advice. He had a scholar’s perfectionism in trying to understand his field, and he succeeded in many ways.

Jim also had wider interests, as Director of Communication for the Society for Psychological Type, for example, for whom he wrote a brief book on the relations between Theory of Type according to Myers-Briggs and Carl Jung, and other measures of personality. He always hoped to write an introductory textbook on the brain, and had excellent, simplifying ideas for doing so. Sadly, he encountered so many obstacles in recent years that the project did not come to fruition.

Jim was a dedicated Episcopalian, and hoped at one time to join a monastic order. His seriousness about the things that matter most in life was unparalleled.

Jim Newman was a veteran of Vietnam, and graduate of West Point. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. He leaves his daughter Laura and his former wife Diana.

He will be missed, as a friend and colleague. May he rest in peace.

NEWMAN, JAMES BRYAN IV
CPT   US ARMY

  • VETERAN SERVICE DATES: 06/04/1969 – 06/30/1974
  • DATE OF BIRTH: 06/10/1947
  • DATE OF DEATH: 05/24/1999
  • DATE OF INTERMENT: 06/30/1999
  • BURIED AT: SECTION 6-M  ROW 12  SITE 1

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

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