The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

My Turn

My Turn: Payne running to succeed Town Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden

(Editor’s note: Longtime Tow Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden announced in December that she would not be seeking another term.)

By Andy Payne

Fellow residents,

I’m running for Town Moderator.

Some of my background and principles: I was on the Finance Committee for several years, chairing it for five. I have experience with and appreciation for the Town Meeting process, working with residents and town staff, finding agreement, and respectfully disagreeing.

Our little town depends heavily on volunteers. I’ve lived in Lincoln nearly all of my adult life and raised three children here. I know it’s a cliche, but I feel an obligation to continue to “give back.”

My LincolnTalk posts and Town Meeting podium time demonstrate my approach to ensuring that residents are informed about (sometimes) complex topics, the implications of their votes, and essential trade-offs. If voters support it, I’d be honored to continue that work as Moderator.

On Town Meeting itself:

Town Meeting starts long before the actual meeting. I would strongly encourage groups to host sessions and post materials (FAQs, videos, slides, etc.) in advance so residents can come fully informed. For especially contentious topics, it might be possible for the moderator to serve as a pre-meeting facilitator between opposing groups.

Long meetings are burdensome for some, and the Town Meeting Study Committee has done excellent work identifying accessibility issues.

I believe that clickers, front-loading the schedule with the expected contentious topics, pre-published information, and moving even more items onto the consent calendar will go a long way toward keeping things manageable. Also, chyrons on the video feed clearly indicating the current and next warrant articles, along with (possibly) a simple text alert system for agenda items, will support those who need to “cherry-pick” their attendance.

With that said, I believe it’s worth spending some extra meeting time to ensure the process is as fair as possible and people feel heard, even when the vote goes against them. Also, it’s important for us all to understand the mechanics of Town Meeting and town government.

The election is on Monday, March 30.

Sarah Cannon Holden will leave some very big shoes to fill after our upcoming Town Meeting on March 28, and I’m humbled to have a chance to try. If anyone has questions, comments, feedback, concerns, and/or suggested dad jokes, please email me at andy@payne.org.

Respectfully,

Andrew Payne, Tower Road

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Bodnar is running for reelection to Select Board

By Kim Bodnar

I’m excited to announce that I am seeking re-election to the Select Board. This role has been both humbling and energizing — every conversation, every late-night meeting, and every decision directly touches the lives of people who care deeply about Lincoln. I respectfully ask for your support as we continue this important work together.

Looking back on my three years on the Select Board, I’m reminded daily what a privilege it is to help shape the future of our town. Public service is demanding, but I couldn’t have anticipated how deeply rewarding this role would be. From the Council on Aging & Human Services’ (COA&HS) lunches and clinics, Coffee & Conversation gatherings to board meetings and informal chats around town, I deeply value the relationships that we have formed and am grateful residents feel comfortable sharing both their positive experiences and concerns about Lincoln.

Serving on the Select Board has deepened my appreciation for the complexity of our town’s challenges, from managing budgets and maintaining infrastructure to planning growth that preserves Lincoln’s character. I’ve also seen firsthand the dedication of our volunteers, committees, and staff —  their commitment is inspiring and a reminder that local government works best when we all pull together.

At its core, public service is about stewardship: listening closely, understanding the issues, balancing competing needs, and striving to make decisions in the community’s long-term interests. It requires hard work, integrity, commitment, and collaboration. I have approached this role with those values at the forefront, and I am proud of the progress we’ve made together.

Above all, my experience has shown me that public service is a partnership. Lincoln’s values emphasize collaboration and consensus, and because responsibility is shared across multiple boards, we accomplish the most when we work together. In that spirit, I am proud to have contributed to a number of important initiatives during my first term, including a year serving as chair of the Select Board, such as:

Town Meeting Study Committee — Helping the board define a charge and process that we are confident will lead to improvements that will ensure voter trust and confidence and enhance the effectiveness and engagement of Town Meeting.

Community Center Building Committee — Serving as the board’s liaison, helped the Committee clearly define and communicate program and budget choices for voters.

Lincoln 250th and Fair & Feast — Serving as chair of Lincoln250, leading the town’s planning for local events and celebrations commemorating the anniversary of the American Revolution; representing Lincoln in regional and statewide planning efforts in coordination with our public safety teams; collaborating with other Lincoln boards and community organizations on historical education initiatives; and chairing a committee-led effort to host the culminating community event, the Lincoln250 Fair and Feast.

Transportation Coalition —Acting as part of the Transportation Coalition’s leadership team, grateful to have been involved in many milestones over the past few years including; creating a five year plan for improving pedestrian and cyclist safety and connectivity, securing grants to install new sidewalks/paths and crosswalks, administering a resident survey, and hosting public forums.

Committee Liaisons — Serving as the Select Board liaison supporting 14 town boards and committees.

Select Board Priorities — As a team, the board and the town administrator are pleased to report progress on a number of important initiatives including completion of the landfill solar project; earning Commonwealth designation as a Climate Leader Community; securing multiple planning, infrastructure, climate, and other grants; and creating new ways to keep residents informed, including the recently launched semi-monthly electronic newsletter, SelectConnect.

Looking ahead, there is important work still to do — continuing strong fiscal discipline, improving our roads and infrastructure, advancing new climate initiatives and expanding transparency, and communication so residents feel engaged and heard. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together, and I would be honored to continue this work with you in a second term.

In closing, I’d welcome the chance to connect with residents who want to learn more about my work on the Select Board or share ideas for Lincoln. I’ll be following up with dates and times when I’ll be at the transfer station, Donelan’s, etc., but I hope you’ll also stop by Bemis Hall or join the Zoom meeting on February 24 beginning at 10:30am for “coffee and conversation” hosted by the COA&HS. Also, please don’t hesitate to reach out using the email addresses below — I’d be glad to meet or chat. As a reminder, our town election will be held on Monday, March 30, 2026.

Thank you for your consideration and for the honor of serving this community.

Respectfully,

Kim Bodnar, 11 Fox Run Road
Kimbodnar1007@gmail.com (personal) or bodnark@lincolntown.org (town)

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden won’t run again

By Sarah Cannon Holden

Dear Fellow Lincolnites,

It is time to hand over the gavel. In the past 15 years as your Town Moderator, I have learned a lot and weathered storms. Most important to me is the number of people I have met in this time. I have learned from you, from our extraordinary town staff, and from other town and school employees. I am enriched when I hear various perspectives on our town, and I am regularly reminded of the importance of community in our daily lives. I will not seek re-election in March 2026. This has not been an easy decision as I greatly enjoy the position even with the complexities.

Over the past 18 months I have served on the Town Meeting Study Committee (TMSC) where nine of us have explored the practices, challenges and time commitment of Town Meeting. We conducted a survey with the intent of hearing comments from the town on the process of Town Meeting. We have added clickers for most voting.  We have added a visible countdown clock for public comment. We are discussing a procedure for hearing from groups with alternative views from those presented by the town boards. We are urging increased use of the consent calendar in an effort to move consideration of motions along more efficiently. We have shared our diverse opinions and will submit our report to the Select Board in January.

Town Meeting is where we exercise our right to participate in the final stages of the legislative process of the town, but before that, participation in the early stages of town board and committee deliberations helps us understand the issues and also helps expedite Town Meeting. I will step down after our Annual Town Meeting on Saturday, March 28, 2026. It has been my great privilege and honor to have served the Lincoln community. I would be happy to try to answer questions from anyone who is thinking about running — or who just has some questions for me.

Lincoln’s Town Moderator is elected for a three year term and appoints members to the Finance Committee, the Capital Planning Committee, and the Personnel Board.

May there be peace during this holiday season and into the next year.

Sarah Cannon Holden
Weston Road

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Allen offers ideas on strengthening democracy, diminishing partisanship

By Barbara Slayter

On Saturday, Nov. 15, Danielle Allen, a renowned political scientist, professor, author, and activist for democracy, spoke to about 70 Lincoln residents at Bemis Hall on the topic of “Righting the Democratic Ship: Forging a Path for Positive Change.” Allen was the guest of the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee (LDTC) at a town hall open to all.

I had anticipated a presentation focusing on current dilemmas of the Democratic Party with strategies and tactics for winning a majority of seats in the U.S. Congress and even possibly capturing the presidency in 2028. No doubt Allen could have provided a host of recommendations and insights, but she chose instead to focus our attention on the big picture — our democracy with a small “d” — in which the electoral system captured by destructive party processes divides us, creates a legislature that doesn’t work, and undermines our capacities to govern ourselves effectively.

The analogy she used to describe America’s malfunctioning political institution is stark. America is like a bear with its paw caught in a trap, being attacked by hungry wolves while a wildfire is raging in the surrounding woods. The trap is our electoral system captured by party processes gone wrong. The wolves represent politicians trying to capture the bear for their own or their party’s gain. The wildfire is the turbulence fueled by globalization, technological transformation, climate change, unprecedented migration, and more.

Why can’t the bear get out of this trap? Allen asserted that the primary system for selecting candidates is at the heart of the problem. According to a recent Gallup poll, 28% of Americans consider themselves Republican, 28% Democrat, and 42% independent. In the context of gerrymandering and low voter turnout for primaries, the candidates of both our major parties are chosen by a small sliver of the population and have an incentive to appeal to their extreme positions rather than to work toward policies addressing the needs of a broad swath of citizens. In other words, 5-10% of the electorate determines the candidates during the primaries. The result is that Congress is totally polarized and can’t get anything done.

Allen offered some ideas for addressing these problems:

  • Abolish party primaries and have one all-party primary in the state, and
  • Lower the barriers to entry to new parties.

She noted that some states including Louisiana, California, Washington, and Alaska are already working on reforming electoral processes, such as having ranked choice voting in the first round of general primary voting. Massachusetts and Oklahoma have coalitions working on ballot initiatives to bring an all-party primary to their state with the two top vote-getters going on to the final round, she said. (Massachusetts is ranked last in democratic practices because we have the lowest primary participation and because 50% of the time there is only one person on the ballot.)

Allen urged us to get involved in this effort. In fact, she recommended that we rebalance our “democracy portfolio,” focusing not only on the candidates and issues of the upcoming elections, but also on the long-term structural problems defined as the trap — the electoral system — and how to escape it.

With that, Allen invited us all to join break-out groups with specific topics to discuss, including questions that will be on the 2026 ballot and policy initiatives that might have bipartisan support. I felt challenged by Professor Allen’s analysis of problems afflicting our beleaguered democracy and glad to be invited to think through some steps toward addressing them through reflection, debate, and analysis.

There were two other speakers as well. Kim Jalet, co-founder of Lincoln Witness, introduced this new Lincoln organization which provides information on immigration policies, as well as advocacy and support on behalf of immigrant communities facing harassment from ICE agents. Lara Sullivan, project manager for Stop Private Jet Expansion (SPJE) at Hanscom and Anywhere, spoke about efforts to protest the proposed expansion of Massport’s Hanscom Field.

For further information about Allen’s work on behalf of strengthening our democracy, both at the state and the national level, see The Renovator, a Substack for all who want to renovate America’s democracy. Allen is a founder of The Renovator.

The LDTC is planning to host two more town halls in the late winter and spring — the first focusing on immigration and due process and the second on health care policies.

Slayter, a Trapelo Road resident, is a member of the LDTC Executive Committee.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

FELS says thank-you for record pie donations

By Nancy Marshall and Tara Mitchell

FELS extends profound thanks to the communities of Lincoln and Sudbury for their incredible response to the Thanksgiving pie sale organized by FELS, the Foundation for Educators at LSRHS. By the numbers, Ruth-Anne Adams and Tom Fosnot of The Hyve produced close to 300 pies, of which:

  • 59 went  to food pantries in Lincoln and Sudbury — a wonderful amount, given the continuing crisis of food insecurity, and a donation record!
  • 20 went to our towns’ public safety personnel
  • 53 were gifted to teachers and staff at LSRHS by families and other teachers

Eight additional donated pies will be raffled off to teachers and staff by Superintendent/Principal Andrew Stevens. The remaining 140-ish pies were distributed to Lincoln and Sudbury families for their Thanksgiving tables.

FELS’ annual appeal continues through the end of December.

To a person, the mission of FELS is fully felt and appreciated by our grant recipients, the beneficiaries of donated/gifted pies, and by every member of our Board. The FELS Board’s work is fueled by a profound appreciation of our teachers’ talents and gifts which they bring to the challenges and the blessings of successfully educating the whole child in today’s world.  Your support empowers FELS to be able to provide opportunities for teachers and staff to feel seen and heard and valued for the critical work they do.

FELS is a nonprofit organization that awards enrichment grants to Lincoln-Sudbury High School faculty and staff to pursue their professional and personal interests and passions. Founded in 2000 to offer parents a way to show their appreciation to the L-S professional staff for their unflagging dedication, tireless effort, and genuine care, our guiding principle is “Inspired Teachers Inspire Students.”

Best wishes for a safe and joyful holiday season.

Marshall and Mitchell are co-presidents of FELS.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Thanks to all who donated to Thanksgiving gift card drive

By Robin Blesius and Ursula Nowak

Thank you to everyone who supported our Thanksgiving Drive. We were truly moved by the outpouring of generosity that allowed us to give each family a little extra care this year. Many households are facing added challenges due to recent disruptions in essential services, and your kindness brought comfort and hope at a time when it was especially appreciated. It is heartwarming to see how deeply our community cares for our neighbors.

Special thanks to the many generous organizations and donors who made this such a special event. Please visit our social media accounts below to see photos.

Blesius and Nowak are co-chairs of the Thanksgiving gift card drive run by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln and Weston.

www.svdplincolnweston.org • Facebook • Instagram

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: supporting our neighbors this Thanksgiving

By Ursula Nowak for the SVdP Food Pantry

At our SVdP Food Pantry of Lincoln and Weston, we’ve seen how the delayed payments and recent cuts of SNAP benefits and the lingering effects of the government shutdown have affected our neighbors. Many of our pantry clients — families, seniors, and individuals who were already stretching every dollar — are now facing even tougher choices about how to put food on the table.

Reductions to SNAP funding and, in some cases job loss, have left many with smaller benefits and greater food insecurity. For families who already rely on every bit of support, that translates into skipped meals and less nutritious options. Even though our pantry faces higher demand and fewer resources, we are making every effort to meet the growing need.

That’s why our Thanksgiving gift card drive is more important than ever this year. Every November, we invite community members to purchase grocery gift cards that we distribute to local families. These cards give our clients the dignity of choosing their own Thanksgiving meal — fresh produce, a turkey, or a favorite family recipe ingredient — and help restore a sense of normalcy during difficult times.

Please help us make these holiday meals possible by donating a $35 Donelan’s gift card before Friday, Nov. 21. You may buy a gift card at Donelan’s in Lincoln and leave it at the register or donate here. To donate by check, please make it payable to ST. VINCENT DE PAUL and mail it to P.O. Box 324, Lincoln MA 01773. Remember to write “Thanksgiving Gift Cards” on the check.

This year, as SNAP benefits shrink and costs rise, that simple gesture means even more. We’re asking our community to come together once again to help make the season a little brighter for our neighbors. Together, we can ensure that everyone in our community has a reason to give thanks this year.

With gratitude,

The Society of St Vincent de Paul Food Pantry of Lincoln and Weston

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Thanksgiving pies and pantries

By Tara Mitchell

Right now, our local food pantries need assistance more than ever before.  With government aid slowing to a trickle, every little bit can help.  Please consider a donation to St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry or the Sudbury Food Pantry.

Additionally, FELS (the Foundation for Educators at Lincoln-Sudbury) is in the final week of its annual Thanksgiving pie sale. You can order a pie as a donation for a family to pick up from the food pantries in Lincoln or Sudbury, to gift to teachers and staff at LSRHS, or for your own Thanksgiving table. Orders must be in by Monday, Nov. 17. 

Either means of donation to our food pantries will allow local families to have a better opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving together. Thanks to both our towns for your ongoing support of our food pantries and FELS, and best wishes for a safe and festive Thanksgiving!

Mitchell, a Sandy Pond Road resident, is co-president of FELS.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Lincoln in the ICE age

By Kathy Madison

Lincoln has long felt like a kind of refuge — blessed by acres of conserved land, home to miles of wild trails and ponds. Our backyards visited by wildlife from opossums and wild turkeys to coyotes and bears. Homes nestled along quiet roads, with gardens and working farms… a quiet, friendly place where one can feel safe.

But we are not safe.

For me, it began last March. A Maryland father, Kilmer Abrego Garcia, was arrested and deported without trial to a notorious prison in El Salvador. The judge’s orders to return him, along with others, were ignored by this administration. Then in April, a Tufts student was grabbed suddenly by masked men on a Somerville street and flown to Louisiana. In May, ICE agents shattered car windows in Acton and Waltham to grab residents, and one morning in Lincoln, a woman didn’t show up for work. Weeks later we learned that ICE had taken her, her family desperate to find her.    

In May, I cofounded Lincoln Witness with Kim Jalet. We formed in response to a clearly out-of-control immigration enforcement machine. Twenty Lincolnites showed up for our first meeting; today there are forty of us. You may have seen us at the July Fourth parade with our Lady Liberties costumes, or at the Farmer’s Market, handing out Know Your Rights cards and raising emergency funds for immigrant families. Our goal is to serve as witnesses to injustice, to prepare ourselves and others in these dark days, to share information, resources and reach out to our neighboring communities.   

In early September, we asked the Town of Lincoln to spread the word, to offer guidance to residents regarding town-wide policies, to inform and educate, because in this town some people still say, “I have nothing to worry about from ICE since I’m not illegal.” The fact is that since January, more than 170 U.S. citizens have been detained, abused and held for days because ICE considers due process optional.

Recently, an American citizen and veteran experienced the fury of ICE and, when contradicted by his captors, refused to keep silent. He wrote about it here.

Remember when we were told that only the “worst of the worst” would be targeted for deportation? In fact, today there are more than 62,000 people in immigration custody – more than half of whom have no criminal record. The crackdown accelerates. During September more than 1,400 Massachusetts residents have been detained by ICE. Families are ripped apart. Law-abiding, tax-paying workers, children, those suffering serious medical conditions — all have been grabbed by an enforcement agency acting with impunity, with faces masked, with no oversight, and permitted now by the Supreme Court to conduct racial profiling.

Nearly one hundred years ago, another regime in another country first mercilessly stigmatized Jews and then rounded up them up. I’ve often wondered how many of their former neighbors missed them as they disappeared, first slowly, then all at once. Did anyone stay up nights wondering where they’d gone? If they were OK?

Today, in 2025, undocumented immigrants are called “illegals,” a pejorative that strips their humanity, practically equates them with the “worst of the worst,” and decrees that they be detained and deported — even to countries foreign to their original homelands. No consideration is given to those immigrants and refugees who are simply showing up for a regular, scheduled visit to an immigration office on their path to citizenship. For ICE, there’s a quota to fill. And their budget is monstrously huge, bumped up by $75 billion in July.

Here’s the thing. Immigrants are the first targets. But increasingly, any individual or organization that dares to criticize the administration has become a potential enemy. I think about what that fact means for me and countless others who are showing up to confront injustice. Increasingly, we must assess what level of risk we are willing to assume. What words we are willing to publish. What we can say in public. 

It may come down to a simple equation: “the land of the free” = “the home of the brave.”

Editor’s note: Madison, who lives on Concord Road, invites readers to join a vigil, march, and rally starting at Waltham District Court (38 Linden St.) on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 11:00am. Click here to see related events in the area.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: A tribute to Jane Goodall

(Editor’s note: the piece below is a tribute posted on the Facebook page of Lincoln author Ruth Mendelson plus a postscript and is republished here with her permission. Goodall died on October 1, 2025 at age 91.)

Jane Goodall (left) and Ruth Mendelson in a Boston hotel room that they hastily adapted as a recording studio in 2016 (see this second Facebook post).

Dr. Jane has been far more than a friend and colleague over the past 23 years. What a blessing to love and be loved by a true human being. Each time Dr. Jane came into town, it meant joy and celebration. She always made a point to contact me ahead of time so we could hang out privately. We would sit on the floor wherever she was staying and talk deep into the night, not bothering to turn the lights on after sunset. Just whispering together throughout the night, sharing about life, vast expanses of inner and outer space, dreams, adventures, purpose and upcoming projects.

Dr. Jane’s life was not glamorous. She was ALWAYS working for the benefit of the planet. She was the first one to get up and the last one to go to bed. She was a living nomad who subsisted out of one small suitcase, traveling 300 days a year in service to our planet and the human condition. She lived incredibly simply, and would make her morning toast using an iron from her hotel room. The only interruption to her travel schedule was covid. And during that time, she was busier than ever — constantly in Zoom meetings and recording interviews, literally 14 hours a day. Her voice often threatened to go out during that time, but she’d continue with the rigorous routine regardless.

People know her for her wonderful work with chimps, but Dr. Jane worked tirelessly for ALL beings on our planet to eradicate poverty, homelessness, disease, plastics — the list goes on and on. She worked with refugees, was constantly meeting with world leaders to improve environmental and social policies, and always made time for children and those afflicted with illness.

Part of Dr. Jane’s rocket fuel came in the form of working with children and youth. Her global youth initiative, Roots & Shoots, was her pride and Joy. I encourage anyone reading this to please check this out for yourself and your local community. 

Amidst the seriousness of the conditions she worked tirelessly to address, Dr. Jane was also FUN! She was a living Dr. Doolittle. She really DID speak animal — I mean with ALL animals. Just extraordinary. I’d like to note here that Dr. Jane often told me that hyenas are completely misunderstood, misrepresented — that they are in fact very loving and affectionate (she spent a lot of time with them in her earlier years). I got her hyena socks one year for Christmas and she was OVER THE MOON!

Dr. Jane was mischievous, bold in her compassion, gentle yet direct, extraordinarily courageous, uniquely resilient, magical, unrelenting and wise. And she was true to the beauty of her purpose to the very end.

Thank you, Dr. Jane, for everything — including being a treasured role model for the whole wide world. Amidst the torrential grief I’m wading through right now, I know I’ll emerge from this with a cleansed and renewed commitment to our beautiful planet and all life upon her. Together we CAN, together we MUST, together we WILL.

Postscript: 

Many people have asked me how we met. Dr. Jane and I first crossed paths in 2002 at the United Nations in Geneva, where I was performing as a bassist with the One Human Family Gospel Choir (we were opening for an international peace summit). Actually, Dr. Jane noticed me first due to a series of hilariously awful events. Sometimes the wrong thing happens in the right way — revealing the very magic of the universe at work. Here’s what happened:

First, my bass was lost at the airport in London (we were playing at the UN the next day). Because of this, I stayed at the airport for hours filling out paperwork and caught a later shuttle to my hotel. My seatmate just happened to be Dr. Jane’s assistant. We had a lovely conversation about life and purpose.

My bass arrived the next day, but then the electricity went out during sound check at the UN. The power came back on right before we performed. There on stage without a sound check (every musician’s nightmare), I shut eyes and hoped for the best. While playing with my eyes closed, my amplifier somehow got turned around and rolled in front of me. So I tried to nonchalantly kick the amp back into position while continuing to play. Dr. Jane (in the audience) smiled as she watched the sideshow, and asked her assistant the name of the musician who was awkwardly dancing with her amplifier. 

Later that day, I saw Dr. Jane descending a flight of stairs and introduced myself. Dr. Jane smiled warmly, said her assistant had told her all about me, and asked me to carry her purse. And that was it — instant connection! We walked arm-in-arm to a workshop Dr. Jane was hosting and have been doing humanitarian and creative projects together ever since — especially projects serving children and youth. Over the years, I’ve had the honor of composing many soundtracks for Dr. Jane’s films and her wonderful podcast series Hopecast, and have served as producer and composer for her updated audiobook, “My Life With the Chimpanzees,” etc.

Dr. Jane wrote the foreword for my novel, “The Water Tree Way.” She even offered to make a brief personal home video about the book because she believed in it so much. That’s how generous she was — even with her nonstop schedule, Dr. Jane was never too busy to express love and care. “The Water Tree Way” is a story about the triumph of the human spirit. The book invites all of us to delve into the most magnificent, mysterious, magical, and necessary of places: inside our very own selves. Dr. Jane’s foreword is precious. I am forever grateful for my beautiful soul friend.