THE inspirational former head of Jersey Overseas Aid – whose bestseller ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Dying’ has been met with international critical acclaim – has been awarded a posthumous doctorate by the University of Bath, where he studied for his Masters.
Simon Boas, who died in July 2024 aged 47 after bravely battling throat cancer – a journey he first publicly shared through the columns of the JEP – received the award for his work in international development, and the influence and reach of his inspirational book.
His sister, Julia, received the honorary doctorate on behalf of her late brother at Bath Abbey by the university’s chancellor, the Duke of Edinburgh. Mr Boas’ parents were also in the audience, as well as JOA executive director Ed Lewis.
Ms Boas told the gathering of graduates that Mr Boas would have been “deeply humbled and delighted by the extraordinary honour”.
She said: “It is my privilege to stand here today on behalf of someone who spent his life helping people and then somehow managed to keep helping them even after he died.
“I didn’t expect those first articles that he wrote for his local paper to go so viral, let alone for him to write such an impactful book in so short a time.
“He had that rare gift of transforming the most uncomfortable topic imaginable into something that felt profound, funny, and strangely comforting.
“Most people tiptoe around death. But Simon approached death as he did life. He strode right up to it, took notes, and reflected with his characteristic humour, intelligence, and compassion. He found a way to make the best of it.”
Speaking to the JEP after Wednesday’s ceremony, Ms Boas said that her older brother had been awarded ‘Doctor of Policy Research and Practice’ by the university, having been put forward by Professor Kate Woodthorpe, co-director of the university’s Centre for Death and Society – an internationally recognised department that carries out research into death and dying.
Ms Boas added that she and her family had been unexpectedly honoured to have been invited to join Prince Edward for a meal after the ceremony.
She said: “The Duke’s message to graduates in the Abbey had very much been about encouraging them to use their degrees for social good, and there was Simon, who had certainly done that to the full.
“Speaking to the Duke afterwards, he was warm and thoughtful, and very interested in Simon’s work and life; it was an incredible day all round.”
