The following remembrance was written by Amazon Conservation Team president and co-founder Dr. Mark J. Plotkin. Dr. Jane served as a beloved and trusted advisory board member to the organization for more than a decade.
There are a few biologists of my generation – and subsequent generations – who were not inspired to pursue a career devoted to the tropics by either Indiana Jones or Jane Goodall, or both. The difference is that Jane Goodall was real.
How real was she?
I had the good fortune of knowing Jane for over four decades, but one cherished memory stands out above all others:
I was at Dulles airport in Virginia to fly to California on the first plane out. It was about 6 in the morning, and I was rubbing the sleep out of my eyes while waiting for my turn in the extraordinarily long security line before boarding the plane. I felt a gentle tug on my shoulder and turned around to see Jane Goodall, who gave me a sunny smile and a cheery hello.
I was a bit taken aback.
“What are YOU doing here?” I stammered.
“What do you mean?” she asked. “I am standing in line to catch my plane, just like you!”
She seemed genuinely puzzled by my query.
I can remember the exchange – 20 years ago – as if it were yesterday.
“Yes”, I replied. “But you are JANE GOODALL, and I am not!”
She smiled. “I am waiting for my turn, just like you and everyone else!”
Keep in mind that – at this point – Jane was more than 70 years old, already the world’s most beloved conservationist and one of the most famous scientists who ever lived. Yet she gave no thought to trading on her fame and reputation to jump ahead of others and skip to the head of the line!
This is who she was, quiet and unassuming yet a fierce and tireless advocate on behalf of her beloved chimps and rainforests, as well as all children and the planet itself.
My other cherished moments with Jane were during quiet time after lectures, when she could let down her hair and break out the Scotch. Several years ago, I was invited to attend a sold-out lecture in Miami organized by my pal Mireya Mayor, one of Jane’s fellow primatologists. On the verge of turning 90, she held an audience of three thousand people spellbound for over an hour. Nobody moved, nobody took a bathroom break, nobody checked their iPhone.
After the gig, a few of us retired to a nearby hotel room and toasted Dr. Jane with a strong shot of liquor. It was then, as had happened so many times before, that the stories poured out – not just about her beloved African friends and forests, but about the most extraordinary people she had encountered, from Mikhail Gorbachev to Michael Jackson. The stories ranged from blindingly insightful to fantastically funny. This is one book I always wished she would write!
But Dr. Jane exited with her boots on: not retiring to a cloistered life living with her many memories, but a road warrior for conservation: traveling far from home in England to spread the word and rouse the faithful. In these dark days, where Mother Nature seems increasingly embattled from all sides, Jane Goodall NEVER gave up.
Her indefatigable spirit and passionate commitment to our living planet continue to inspire us all.
Mark J. Plotkin
Co‑Founder & President
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