On Oct. 1, the Jane Goodall Institute announced in a statement that its founder, legendary scientist and conservationist Jane Goodall, had passed away at 91 years old from natural causes. Goodall was best known for her work with chimpanzees in Tanzania, for which the BBC named her “the world’s preeminent chimpanzee expert.” Goodall was a global icon and leader in conservation, humanitarianism and women’s rights.
Goodwall was born in 1934 in London and was the eldest daughter of a racecar driver and a writer. According to the Jane Goodall Institute, Goodall was passionate about animals from a young age and was especially interested in studying African wildlife.
Goodall got the opportunity to continue pursuing her passion when pathologist Dr. Louis Leakey hired her as a secretary at the National Museum in Nairobi, Kenya, where she worked for three years.
In July 1960, Goodall made her first trip to Gombe, Tanzania, to study a group of wild chimpanzees. Soon after, Goodall earned her PhD titled “The Behavior of Free-living Chimpanzees in the Gombe Stream Reserve” from the University of Cambridge.
Goodall returned to Gombe for the next fifty years, becoming well-versed in the language and behaviors of chimpanzees. She is credited with discovering that chimpanzees use tools similar to humans, an observation that the Jane Goodall Institute says has “redefined what it means to be human.” Her studies of the chimpanzees evolved into a vast research program still ongoing today.
Goodall is most known for her works in promoting awareness for chimpanzees and the plight of wild animals. She authored 27 books and was featured in and narrated numerous documentaries and films, becoming a spokesperson for the conservation cause. Her most well-known book, “In the Shadow of Man,” has been translated into 48 languages and described by Time Magazine as “[o]ne of history’s most impressive field studies.”
Upper School Life Science Chair Emily Boyer stated how she was “fascinated” by Goodall and her work with chimpanzees as a kid.
“She was a true hero to me — she was a successful woman in science, which was not very common in my youth,” Ms. Boyer said. “Her discoveries also challenged some of the previous assumptions we made about how we thought about humans separately from other animals. Her work was groundbreaking and inspiring.”
Goodall’s work impacted many generations, and many Sidwell students expressed their sadness at Goodall’s passing and gratitude for her life.
“She did a lot of work in bringing awareness to the lives of animals, and making sure people thought about their actions and the natural environment outside of themselves,” senior Lexi Orr said.
“I think she was a very rare person… She advocated for the treatment of animals in a time when people didn’t really care about the ecosystem, much less what a woman said,” said senior Lucy Verma. “I think that her work and her message will carry on forever — so many people have decided to specialize in conservation and zoology because of her.”
Goodall received many honors throughout her life, including being named a United Nations Messenger of Peace and a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, as well as receiving the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom, the French Légion d’honneur, the Ghandi-King Award for Nonviolence and the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement.
