Father James W. Felt, S.J., professor emeritus of philosophy at Santa Clara University, died after a brief illness February 17, 2022 at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Los Gatos, aged 96. Father Felt had spent his entire professional career at Santa Clara from 1965 to 2013, when he came to Sacred Heart Center for a ministry of prayer.
James Wright Felt was born in Dallas, TX January 4, 1926. The family moved to the east coast and then to Hollywood and Beverly Hills. After graduating from Loyola High School, Los Angeles, he entered the Jesuit novitiate at Los Gatos on October 8, 1943. His Jesuit studies took him to Gonzaga University for his B.A. and M.A. in Humanities/Philosophy. A period of teaching was spent at Loyola University (lecturer in philosophy and mathematics, 1950-51) and St. Ignatius Prep, San Francisco (mathematics, 1951-53). Theological studies were made at the Alma College campus of Santa Clara University (1953-57) and Fr. Felt was ordained a priest in San Francisco June 16, 1956.
Fr. Felt pursued graduate studies at St. Louis University, receiving a M.S. in Physics (1961) and a Ph.D. in Philosophy (1965). He joined the faculty of Santa Clara University in 1965, achieving Emeritus status in 2007. He taught a variety of courses, but his specialty was metaphysics and the philosophy of science. He published several books and dozens of articles in scholarly journals. He was a member of six professional organizations and served as president of two of them. In 2005 he received Santa Clara’s Award for Sustained Excellence in Scholarship, an honor he greatly prized.
Fr. Felt was a railroad aficionado and traveled by train whenever possible. He built his own elaborate model railroad in the Jesuit community house at Santa Clara. He also enjoyed painting and sketching.
Fr. Felt is survived by nephews Joseph Krack of Fair Oaks, CA and James Krack of Longmouth, CO. A Funeral Mass was held privately at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center.