I had only just re-listened to her “People I (mostly) Admire” podcast interview. It’s really worth your time if you aren’t familiar with her life. Even just months before her death she was sharp, bright, witty and wise. In her youth she was groundbreaking. In @Troll’s “Porch” thread we were having a fun mock-debate about Thor Heyerdahl. Jane, like him, used all the tools available to her in their time to communicate a message that many in their fields were unprepared to receive. But they are similar only in that regard. Heyerdahl had a theory. Jane started with none. She was just a beautiful young woman who was open to whatever the chimpanzees were able to teach her through many thousands of hours of observation. She left us with a much deeper knowledge about primates and ourselves.
Not ashamed to say that I shed a tear when I read that in the news this morning.
She is up there with the likes of Nelson Mandela when I think of inspirational people and though probably not as well known has done as much for my understanding of the natural world as David Attenborough.
I became a fan of Jane Goodall (and Dian Fossey) as a High School senior. I went to a ‘progressive’ public school for my final year. We had the option to take what were essentially first year college subjects as ‘electives’ for extra credit. Because I was studying Biology I elected to partake in a primate behaviour course.
Over six months I spent one afternoon per week at Melbourne Zoo with the keepers and other students, observing Gorillas, Chimps, Orangutans, Baboons, etc.
Gibbons are my favourite primate… and not just because they’re funky 
It’s a balcony.
That aside, I’ll join you in paying respect for Dr. Goodall. Her studies, as you say, groundbreaking. But first and foremost, she was a wonderful human being. Perhaps because of this, she was easier to accept for our primate siblings.
Rest in peace, Chimpanzee Lady.
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.
What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
― Jane Goodall