‘Try to keep up with Jane Goodall.’ South Hill artist remembers her friend
Jane Goodall was many things: a scientist, animal-rights advocate and believer in a better future for the planet. But Goodall, who passed away Oct. 1, also had a surprising side, Pierce County conservation artist Becci Crowe says.
There was “her keen sense of humor behind her often soft voice,” Crowe told The News Tribune on Thursday, “and a very sharp wit.”
Most importantly, Goodall was a “transformational” force in Crowe’s life.
Crowe, who lives in South Hill, began an art career in the 1990s with the goal of raising awareness and money for conservation efforts. At the time she met Goodall in 2010, she was still trying to connect with likeminded people.
“All this time, I was looking for what I call my tribe,” she said.
It was at an event for a wildlife-conservation organization where Crowe had to set aside her star-struck reaction to meeting Goodall and introduce herself. Crowe connected with Goodall and went on to travel with her to Tanzania and the Republic of Congo for up-close encounters with chimpanzees and other wildlife.
As she worked with the conservationist and eventually joined the board of the Jane Goodall Institute, she knew she had found what she was looking for. On one trip, she went to a chimpanzee-rehabilitation center with Goodall in the Republic of Congo, seeing her work up close for six days.
During the trip, Crowe and Goodall traveled with rehabilitated chimpanzees to an island, where they opened the apes’ carriers to set them free.
Goodall made her first mark in the human understanding of primates with her groundbreaking chimpanzee research. She famously observed chimpanzees over long periods in their natural habitats. She also broke taboos by naming the chimps and documented their use of tools, which was previously unknown to western scientists.
Crowe creates intricate stipple drawings and paintings of wildlife based on real-world observations. She’s auctioned off and sold her pieces to raise funds for conservation programs, such as a portrait of Goodall that included a quote from the researcher and advocate: “I pray above all for peace throughout the world.”
Having seen Goodall’s work up close, Crowe remembers her as tireless.
“Try to keep up with Jane Goodall,” she said.
Nonetheless, Crowe said Goodall took time to relax.
“I had my first shot of Scotch with her,” she recalled.
Goodall loved to tell stories, a trait that Crowe said helped her communicate with the world about the animals she loved.
Crowe believes Goodall’s most lasting impact will be on the young people she inspired. In particular, her Roots and Shoots program has chapters across the world.
It encourages students to find and help solve problems affecting people, animals or the environment. It began in Tanzania, according to the Jane Goodall Institute, and more than 1.7 million young people in over 75 countries have participated.
Goodall was a firm believer that every person has the ability to make a difference in the world, and that belief has been multiplied through the millions of people she inspired, Crowe said.
Her friend would want everyone to “believe in hope,” Crowe said, “and believe in hope through action.”
