Much has been written about Farish Jenkins since he passed away on November 11th. He was a celebrated paleontologist, a highly-regarded Harvard professor, a loving husband and father, and a great supporter of FoTZC, but most importantly, Farish was one of the kindest men I’ve ever known.
I wish I could have been present in the stories that have been written recently about Farish – drawing bones and muscles on his suit to illustrate how they worked, and walking around his classroom on a peg leg to demonstrate how the body absorbs shocks – but every interaction I had with Farish was special and memorable. It was always such a pleasure to discuss Tanzania with him; he was so passionate about the country, its wildlife, and its people. This kindness and passion was present in every interaction Farish had; as it has been said, he was the epitome of the word “gentleman.”
Farish will be missed by many, and we are honored that the Jenkins family has chosen FoTZC as one of two organizations to have a Farish Jenkins, Jr. Fund. We send our deepest condolences to Farish’s wife and family. We feel truly blessed to have known him.
A memorial service will be held at 2:30pm Saturday, December 1, 2012 at the Memorial Church, One Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MA 02138.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Farish A. Jenkins, Jr. Fund – to support the field work of students in evolutionary biology; c/o The Museum of Comparative Zoology 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138; or Focus on Tanzanian Communities, c/o Thomson Safaris, 14 Mount Auburn Street, Watertown, MA 02472. Email info@fotzc.org or donate now.
Written by Eliza Hatch
