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A True Power for Good: Jane Goodall Exhibit Inspires

1/29/2026

When Abigail Wu ’30 and her sister Madeline ’32 enter the middle school lobby, they’re walking past a piece of their family history.

On display there, as well as in Masters Hall and Morris Hall, are photographs of pioneering primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall in Tanzania, taken by their grandfather, Kenneth Love, whose award-winning career includes photography and film production for National Geographic.

“I loved the idea from Abigail, Madeline and their mother to share these special photographs with the School,” said middle school art teacher Bruce Robbins. Robbins worked with Interim Upper School Visual Arts Chair Rachel Langosch, middle school art teacher Vicente Saavedra and Head of Middle School Tasha Elsbach to bring the exhibition to fruition.

“Kenneth Love’s work shows not just documentary images but moments in time that honor and inspire us as to the compassionate work of Dr. Jane Goodall,” Robbins said. “We, the audience, are placed with a front row seat to the power of good that Jane’s work represents.”

Love was part of a National Geographic crew that filmed Dr. Goodall at her home in Dar es Salaam and in Gombe Stream National Park in 1982. He said, “It was an honor when Jane allowed me to join a rare all-day ‘follow,’ during which she silently tracked chimpanzees from dawn to dusk, carefully recording every detail of their behavior.”

“She did so many amazing things with chimpanzees, and when we looked at these photos (after Goodall’s passing in October), and read articles and watched documentaries, we wanted to share the photos with the Masters community,” Abigail said.

Madeline, a self-professed animal lover who enjoys hearing about her grandfather’s global adventures, was also wowed by the scope of his work.

“I realized the collection was bigger than I expected, and there were a lot of different photos of the chimps and Jane,” Madeline said. “My favorites are the ones where the chimps are using tools to look for termites.”

Robbins designed the middle school display with Abigail and Madeline, who wanted an interactive tree at the center. “I worked with Madeline after school to create it. Fifth grader Emi Kubo also helped to make the bark of the paper tree,” he said. “A box of paper leaves where students can write about how they can be a power for good in the world makes the display interactive.”

Abigail believes Dr. Goodall can inspire all of us: “She created organizations like Roots & Shoots for kids to help the environment and make a difference in the world. This is a great example of persevering and knowing that what you think is right, you can advocate for, and that you could change the world.”

Langosch agreed, noting, “I love that we can share part of her work, thinking about how each of us has a responsibility to make change in the world through both small actions and large.”

Langosch has invited Love to visit her upper school photography classes in March. Meanwhile, Abigail, who graduates from eighth grade in June, already seems to be bitten by the (shutter) bug: “I visited a darkroom photography class in the Upper School and thought it was really cool, so I might want to do that and ask my grandpa more about it.”

“Jane in the Field” in Masters Hall, “Life Among the Chimps” in the Middle School and “What Are They Doing?” in Morris Hall will be on view through March 30.