Honoring Jane Goodall’s legacy
Original story by Laura Paisley and Darrin Joy
Dame Jane Goodall, the world-renowned primatologist whose pioneering work with chimpanzees transformed our understanding of animal intelligence and human evolution, has died at the age of 91.
Her connection to the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences had an enduring impact. In 1991, the College named her a Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and Occupational Science — the same year it established the Jane Goodall Research Center. Though the center is no longer active, it played a formative role in the College’s research on great apes and the evolutionary roots of human behavior.
Goodall’s appointment at USC Dornsife was made possible in part by the late Professor Emeritus Granville “Zandy” Moore and her friendship with the late Christopher Boehm, then professor of anthropology and biological sciences. Boehm had worked alongside Goodall in the mid-1980s before joining USC Dornsife, where he partnered with Craig Stanford, professor of biological sciences and anthropology and a Wrigley Institute faculty affiliate, to co-lead the center.
“Jane’s influence on USC Dornsife stretches back more than 30 years and has inspired generations of students and scholars,” said Stanford. “I lived and worked with Jane in Tanzania. Random encounters would lead to heartfelt conversations, and people would stop in their tracks to pay respects to her. She was a globally important figure who stood for morality and ethics toward our planet as few others have.”
Goodall was best known for her research at the Gombe Stream Reserve in Tanzania, where she documented chimpanzees using tools and forming social bonds — findings that challenged long-standing assumptions about what separates humans from other animals. She later founded the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education and Conservation, as well as the Roots & Shoots youth program, both dedicated to protecting animals and the environment.