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Jane Goodall to Speak at Washington and Lee University

Washington and Lee’s Contact Committee will present Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, who will speak on Thursday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m. in Lee Chapel.

The title of Goodall’s talk is “Sowing the Seeds of Hope.” The event is co-sponsored by SEAL, the Tri-Beta Honor Society and the Johnson Leadership Series.

The event will be ticketed and the talk will be free. Tickets will be distributed free of charge to University faculty, staff and students with W&L ID on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 4 and 5, from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. in Elrod Commons. The doors to Lee Chapel will open at 7 p.m. on March 6.

A block of tickets will be reserved for anyone interested in lining up at the doors to Lee Chapel the night of the event. More specific ticketing information can be found at facebook.com/contactcommittee.

The event will be live-streamed on the Washington and Lee website, and an overflow location will be in Northen Auditorium, Leyburn Library.  A book signing will follow the event in Evans Hall.  Several of her books are available at the University Store for purchase, and will also be for sale at the signing.

In 1960, Goodall began her landmark study of chimpanzee behavior in what is now Tanzania. Her work at Gombe Stream would become the foundation of future primatological research and redefine the relationship between humans and animals.

In 1977, Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute, which continues the Gombe research and is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. The institute is widely recognized for innovative, community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa.

Goodall also founded Roots & Shoots with a group of Tanzanian students in 1991. Today, the organization connects hundreds of thousands of youth in more than 130 countries who take action to make the world a better place for people, animals and the environment.

Goodall’s honors include the French Legion of Honor, the Medal of Tanzania and Japan’s prestigious Kyoto Prize. In 2002, she was appointed to serve as a United Nations Messenger of Peace and in 2003, and in 2003, she was named a Dame of the British Empire.

For more information about Dr. Goodall and the work of the Jane Goodall Institute, please visit www.janegoodall.org.

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