Goodall first in President's Speaker Series

By Liz O'Brien

Eight hundred pairs of eyes focused in on the woman who first befriended the chimpanzees. The slender, white-haired scientist approached the podium, took a deep breath and greeted her audience.

In chimpanzee.

Her striking representation of the call of the chimpanzee attests to Jane Goodall's intimate knowledge of man's closest relative. Goodall, the world's most recognized primatologist, spoke at Santa Clara Monday night to open the second annual President's Speaker Series.

Her presentation, "Reason for Hope," focused on her personal relationships with both primates and humans and called for a more sustainable world. Goodall, who began her work with chimpanzees in Tanzania in 1960, now lectures worldwide. She promotes her organization, the Jane Goodall Institute, while emphasizing the need for sustainability all over the globe.

Goodall's presentation is the first of four events this year in the Speaker Series, which focuses on science and technology. The program will feature lecturers throughout the year from the fields of primatology, biology, stem cell research and journalism. The lectures are open to the surrounding community, and students can reserve free tickets in advance.

The success of last year's series, which concentrated on the Middle East, led to increased sponsorship for this year, according to Margaret Avritt, marketing director in the Office of Marketing and Communications. The university has reserved $25,000 in the general operating budget for the program, and gifts from private donors will account for the remaining expenses.

"A really good university automatically does things like this -- creates opportunities to hear people talking about the really important ideas and issues of the day," Avritt said.

Goodall's presentation sold out within the first two weeks of ticket availability, and there were an estimated 800 seats filled between Mayer Theatre and the Recital Hall, which featured a live broadcast.

Goodall, here in part by a grant from RagingWire Enterprise Solutions, has used her research on chimpanzees to shed light on human behavior and development. But as a young girl in England, her family did not have the money to give her a college education. By waiting tables and working as a secretary, she earned enough money to finally visit the location that would hold her future: Africa.

"I was 23 years old when I waved goodbye to my family, my friends and my country and set off on an adventure," Goodall said in her lecture, and continued on to outline her 40-plus years of studying primates. Her achievements included recording for the first time an animal other than man using a tool, recognizing emotion in non-human beings and watching the development of families of chimpanzees in Gombe National Park.

She paid tribute to her mentors, including her mother and her childhood dog, Rusty. She also stressed the emotional capacity of chimps, many of whom she befriended.

"You cannot look into the eyes of a chimp and not know that you are looking at a living, feeling being," she said.

Goodall closed the lecture by reminding her audience that there is hope to change the world.

"We have compromised the future of this planet; there is no question," she said. "But the hundreds of thousands of young people in the world can break down the walls that we've built."

Goodall was available after the presentation to sign copies of her books. While a question and answer session was planned to immediately follow the lecture, time did not allow for it. A private reception before the presentation offered select honors students, faculty members, donors and alumni the chance to meet Jane Goodall in person.

"We're so glad to have her here because she's a very stimulating thinker, someone who looks at important scientific issues about different behaviors and different emotions, and her study of primates really helps us understand a whole other dimension of life," said University President Paul Locatelli, S.J.

Students and alumni shared Locatelli's sentiments. "People like her inspire me to use the opportunities I have and live actively," said sophomore Sophie Speer. Some were especially touched by Goodall's message.

"She said one of the things that she thinks is really missing today is the connection between our mind and our heart," said Dana Christensen, an '83 alumna who returned to campus for the lecture. "I think all of us need to look at what we can do to make sure our mind and our hearts are connected and that we're looking to solve problems -- global problems."

At the reception, Goodall offered young people some advice.

"Remember that every day you live, you make an impact on the world around you. And you have a choice about what kind of impact that's going to be. So think carefully about the consequences of the choices that you make -- what you buy, how you eat, how you travel, how you interact with people -- because you always make an impact."

Contact Liz O'Brien at (408) 554-4546 or eobrien@scu.edu.