James Bradshaw Jamieson

1931 - 2019

James "Jim" Bradshaw Jamieson On September 18, 2019, James (Jim) Bradshaw Jamieson, loving husband, and devoted father of two sons, passed away peacefully at his home in San Luis Obispo with family by his side. He was 88 years old. Jim was born in 1931 in Hollywood, CA to Charles and Ruth (Bradshaw) Jamieson. He attended Citrus High School, graduating in 1949. During these formative years, he helped his father run their family-owned bakery, often rising at two o'clock in the morning to help fill orders before heading off to school. This experience helped foster a strong work ethic, a quality that would serve him well in the years to come. After serving two years in the Air Force, Jim settled in Claremont, CA where he attended the Claremont Colleges, receiving a Bachelor of Arts from Claremont McKenna College and then a Master's degree from Claremont Graduate School in 1958. While there, Jim would meet his future wife, Perry McNaughton, who was attending Scripps College at the time. The two were married in December of 1959. The couple then moved to Providence, Rhode Island where Jim would receive a Ph.D. in political science from Brown University. Their first son, Jeff, was born there in 1960 during a one of the worst blizzards on record. The family then moved back to California where Jim would pursue a career in academia starting with a one-year research fellowship at UCLA. Dalton, their second son, was born in Claremont in 1966 during a record heat wave. Jim had a distinguished career in academia and fundraising. He began working at Pitzer College as an associate professor in 1968 and eventually stepped up to an administrative role serving as vice president from 1973 to 1983. He also worked at Claremont McKenna College as vice president from 1984 to 1987. In San Luis Obispo, he became the Executive Director for the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly from 1987 to 1995 where he helped raise funds to build the Performing Arts Center on the Cal Poly University campus, a major cultural center of the Central Coast. Jim had an irreverent sense of humor and was always a joy to be around. Besides baking, playing tennis, writing humorous short stories and restoring automobiles in his garage, Jim had a passion for fishing and the beauty of the outdoors. Every summer, he would take the family on a two-week camping trip to the likes of Ketchum, Idaho and Yosemite Park. It would thus make sense that he would fall in love with the Central Coast when he first visited the area in the early 1970s eventually making it his home when he and Perry moved to San Luis Obispo in 1987. In a matter of time, he became a recognizable fixture in town driving a fully restored 1955 Ford green truck a restoration project that would consume him for years bedecked with a dalmatian that Perry constructed out of papier-mâché that rode alongside in the passenger seat. Jim retired in 1995 giving him time to focus on a host of various projects and spend more time with his grandchildren. This was a time in his life that he claimed he was "busier than ever!" Jim was preceded in death by his father, Charles, his mother, Ruth and his brother, Bob. He is survived by his wife, Perry, his two sons, Jeff and Dalton, two grandsons, four step-granddaughters and several nieces and nephews. The Jamieson family would like to extend their gratitude to the staff at Garden Creek of the Villiages in San Luis Obispo and to Central Coast Home Health Hospice in appreciation for all the wonderful support and guidance they gave us during Jim's last days. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, November 2, 2019 at the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly University at 11:00am. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center, 755 Santa Rosa St. #310, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401.