More on Goodall's visit
- Read transcript of Goodall’s speech and the Q&A that followed.
- See photos of Goodall’s visit to Lafayette.
October 1, 2025
Remembering Jane Goodall
World-renowned primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, who died on Wednesday (10/1), visited Lafayette College in April 2013 to deliver the Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Visiting Lecture. Read statement from Jane Goodall Institute.
Jane Goodall visited Lafayette College in 2013. | Photo by Chuck Zovko
According to archived accounts of her talk, Goodall packed Kamine Gym as she described her groundbreaking discoveries about the traits chimps share with humans, her work to enrich poor villages while preserving wild habitats in Africa, and her popular program to teach young people about conservation.
Wendy Hill, Director of the Hanson Center for Inclusive STEM Education and Rappolt Professor Emeritus of Neuroscience, who introduced Goodall to the Lafayette audience and moderated a discussion, remembers it well.
“The entire campus community was electrified by Dr. Jane Goodall’s visit. Faculty, staff, students, alumni, families, and community members of all ages filled Kamine Gym for her Jones Visiting Lecture,” she says.
Jane Goodall speaks in Kamine Gym (2013). | Photo by Chuck Zovko
“I still remember walking over with then President Dan Weiss and Dr. Goodall from the Pfenning Alumni Center, although it felt less like a walk and more like a sprint as Dan and I worked to match her pace,” Hill says. “When Goodall stepped to the podium and opened with her signature chimpanzee greeting call, the room came alive. What followed was a talk that was at once engaging, informative, and profoundly inspiring. With warmth, humor, and unwavering optimism, Goodall displayed her extraordinary gift for connecting across generations, inviting us all into her stories and her vision of hope.”
After her captivating presentation, she stayed to sign books. The line stretched through the hall with people of all ages eager for a moment with her.
“Goodall never wavered, sitting for hours on the simple backless stool she had requested, signing each book and smiling for countless photos,” adds Hill,who was struck by how present she was with each person who stepped forward.
Jane Goodall signs a book for a student. | Photo by Chuck Zovko
“Whether a young child clutching a picture book or a faculty member eager to thank her, she looked directly at them, listened, and made them feel seen,” Hill says. “Near midnight, after even the three burly security guards had had their books signed, she finally slid off the stool, stretched her neck from side to side, and then walked away with quiet strength. It was remarkable. In that moment, I realized this was the essence of her fieldwork: patient, steady, and unyielding in her attention.”
“Goodall’s capacity to make students feel heard and seen was a gift she carried forward into her 90s,” notes Provost Laura McGrane. “As recently as last year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Goodall spoke directly to youth across the globe — ‘[O]nce you are empowered to take action, there’s no stopping you.’ We are humbled and honored that Goodall shared her presence with us at Lafayette. And as we embark on our Bicentennial year, we look forward to continuing the College’s longstanding history of welcoming such shining expertise.”
Tagged with: Campus History, Hanson Center, Jones Visiting Lecture, Lectures, Neuroscience, News and Features