Happy Birthday, Jane Goodall: A Smart Girl Who Inspires and Changes the World, For Every Walk of Life
April 3, 2016 will mark the 82nd birthday of Smart Girl Dr. Jane Goodall. Her fearless, trailblazing, and compassionate work in studying and advocating for endangered species, particularly the chimpanzees she loves so much, makes her birthday one that all walks of life will be celebrating. In honor of her birthday, Smart Girls spoke with some people who have met with, written about, and even worked side-by-side with Dr. Goodall to get an even better appreciation of her amazing and ongoing impact.
Jane: The Idol
Author/journalist/animal advocate Vicki Croke is, perhaps, Dr. Jane Goodall’s greatest admirer.
In a 2014 essay she penned for WBUR’s The Wildlife, about meeting her hero back in 1989, Croke eloquently wrote, “For me, and countless other girls, she also profoundly changed the definition of ‘woman.’ She showed the world that going to Africa and studying animals wasn’t just for boys. She had made a life among the wild chimpanzees of Gombe in Tanzania, and lots of us wanted to be just like her.”
Croke (pictured with Goodall) turned her admiration for her hero into her own work and her passion. “Jane showed me that a life focused on animals is a worthy one,” she tells Smart Girls. “As a journalist working at The Boston Globe I fought for three years to create an ‘animal beat’ — making coverage of animal issues as important as sports, politics, and the arts.”
From that point on, Croke — who has written four books and countless articles about wildlife — says that “Jane is part of my soul and comes with me everywhere. A little piece of her is with me in everything I write.”
When asked why she thinks Dr. Goodall is such an important figure to admire during Women’s History Month, Croke, of course put it best: “She is a living revolution. She has caused, through hard work, insight, and personal courage, tectonic shifts in the way we view science, chimpanzees, and gender equality.”
Jane: The Subject
When Dr. Goodall observed and lived with the wild chimpanzees in Tanzania, she not only changed the way we see the world, she became a subject of fascination all her own. Dr. Goodall has long been the subject of books and essays, among countless other works. One of those landmark works is The Jane Effect: Celebrating Jane Goodall, a collection of testimonies about the personal and professional impact Dr. Goodall has had on those around her.
Dr. Marc Bekoff, one of the co-editors of The Jane Effect, tells Smart Girls that while creating this book, “I was, and continue to be overwhelmed, by how many people around the world Jane has influenced and touched in myriad ways as a mentor, role model, and friend.” He continued, “She showed me how solid science supports the fact that other animals are smart, sentient, and emotional beings. They need to be respected for whom they are, unique individuals who truly care about what happens to themselves, their families, and their friends,” he says.
“There are many lessons, for sure,” Dr. Bekoff says when it comes to the life of Dr. Jane Goodall, “But one is that passion, patience, and persistence and listening to others, even one’s critics, are critical as we follow our dreams.”
Jane: The Colleague
David Greer has, what can only be described as, the best title imaginable. He is the Great Apes Coordinator in Africa for the World Wildlife Fund. In this line of work, Greer has had the privilege of personally knowing and working with Dr. Goodall.
“I have attended diplomatic dinners with Jane where she cultivates important support and passion from Ambassadors. I have accompanied her to schools where the children — completely in awe of this legendary woman before them — are quickly put to ease with how she does not speak at them, but rather she communicates with them,” Greer shared. “I can only imagine how many children have been touched and influenced by an encounter with Jane.”
He acknowledges that Dr. Goodall not only “essentially opened the door for me to establish a career in the field of wildlife conservation,” but that it’s all our mission to ensure that her life’s work always be carried on.
Greer urges, “Losing the battle against environmental degradation/biodiversity loss is not an option for Jane and her most fervent message is that every individual can make a difference to counter this currently worrisome trend. If all of us decide to — and more importantly, commit to — do our part, then the sum of our efforts can potentially have a major positive impact on the planet.”
To learn even more about Dr. Jane Goodall and to get involved with her mission, visit The Jane Goodall Institute.
Images via Mark Schierbecker/Flickr ; Mario Suriani; David Greer
