72. Jane Goodall

This seems to be my summer of being inspired by octogenarians such as Gloria Steinem, Joan Didion, and Jane Goodall. Although Jane Goodall is known for her work with chimps and her activism, a snippet of a conversation she had with David Gelles of The New York Times was an extraoridinary remembrance of her mother.

In the war [World War II], you learned to take nothing fo granted. Even continuation of life. My father's brother, Rex, joined the air force and he was killed. That was a big blow to Mom, because they really liked each other a lot. I sometimes think shed rather have married him than my father. One day we were in Bournemouth and suddenly she screamed, "Rex!" and started sobbing hysterically. And it was the very moment he was shot down over Egypt.

(For September 20, 2019)