James “Jim” Daniel Heffernan, a former University of the Pacific philosophy professor and chair who used innovative approaches to engage and energize students, passed away on Thanksgiving Day, November 25.
Heffernan taught philosophy at Pacific from 1972-2014 and served as chair of the department for over two decades. During the span of his career, he amassed generations of admiring students through his humor, intelligence and unique ability to connect advanced philosophical concepts to everyday life. He described his career as “a 42-year love affair with teaching philosophy.”
“Jim made a difference in students’ lives because he cared about their learning and modeled habits of intellectual openness, clear thinking, a passion for life-long learning, compassion for others and a sense of humor that fostered human solidarity,” said Lou Matz, professor and chair of philosophy.
An avid nature lover, Heffernan helped develop the environmental studies program at Pacific and started a course on environmental ethics, which remains popular with students today. He also pioneered a cross-disciplinary course on artificial intelligence with the mathematics department.
As a professor, Heffernan was dedicated to making philosophy accessible to all students. He was an early adopter of using technology in the classroom and often incorporated movie clips and pop culture references into lectures to make philosophy personally relevant to his students.
Heffernan grew up in upstate New York, where he also attended Le Moyne College. He started out as a chemistry major but was ultimately more intrigued by his philosophy classes, where he enjoyed pondering big questions like the existence of God. He even left university to attend a Jesuit seminary for a few years before deciding the priesthood wasn’t his path.
Heffernan earned his BA in chemistry and an MA in philosophy from Fordham University. After graduating, he accepted a job offer at IBM, where he spent several years as a computer programmer. His experience at IBM eventually led him to fuse his interests in technology and philosophy through a Ph.D. at Notre Dame University in philosophy of artificial intelligence.
Heffernan is survived by his wife, Maria, his son, Daniel, his younger sisters Geraldine “Sari” and Patricia, his younger brother, Joseph and grandchildren, William and Cassidy. A memorial celebration is planned for early 2022.
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