Jim Cameron

JIM CAMERON Jim died peacefully at his home in Kincardine, Ontario, on the shores of the great inland sea, on Thursday, September 11, 2008. Geographer, historian, town councillor, Jim wore many hats in his 65 years. From the author bio of Good For What Ails You , his compilation of self-help remedies from early Canada: Jim's interests include wandering in and out of 19th century Canada, beavering away in Kincardine at his pre-cut cord of firewood, and contemplating the hypothesis that a circle is a square that has faced reality. Jim is survived by his wife Kaye MacDonald, and by daughter Cathy (Jack), and three sons Jim (Shannon), Andrew (Sabrina) and Dave (Margaret). Also by grandchildren Carson and Caitlin, and by his sister Mary of Ottawa and brother-in-law Wishie O'Neill of Glace Bay, Cape Breton Island. He is predeceased by his brother John. Jim was born in Ottawa on Christmas Day, 1942, to James Roberts Cameron and Margaret Elson (McIntyre) Jardine. He was a decorated graduate of Lawrence Park Collegiate in Toronto, the beginning of a robust tenure in the academy. The thesis he wrote for his Ph.D. (University of Glasgow, 1970) detailed the factors that directed Scottish emigration to Upper Canada in the 1850's. Jim taught urban studies at Atkinson College, York University, from 1971-1998. He lived in Maple and then Kleinburg, and served for sixteen years as a councillor in the town (now city) of Vaughan. In 1991, Jim published The Canadian Beaver Book , a compendium of fact and lore about our national animal. The book had its genesis in Jim's acquisition of a bushlot near Ahmic Harbour, Ontario, which featured an active beaver pond as its centerpiece. Jim remained a steadfast voice of reason, all the while denying that his costive mind restricted what otherwise might have led to a balanced view of life. His curious slant on things will be missed. Family and friends will be received at the Davey-Linklater Funeral Home, 757 Princes Street, Kincardine, ON N2Z 1Z5, 519-396-2701, on Sunday, from 2:00 to 4:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., where the funeral service will be held on Monday, September 15, at 1:00 p.m., with Pastor Kenneth Craig officiating. Interment, Kincardine Cemetery. Memorial donations to the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy. Portrait and memorial online at www.daveylinklaterfuneralhome.com