We're all aware of the influence Frans has had on primatology, both as a scientific trailblazer (sparking primatologists' interest in coalitions, conflict resolution, empathy, and morality, among other topics) and as a popularizer of primatology for the general public, via his beautifully written, beloved books.
But perhaps less publicized is his kindness towards junior colleagues and his importance in furthering their careers, so I would like to share some of the ways he helped me. I first met Frans when I was a beginning graduate student at Michigan and he was at University of Wisconsin, working with macaques and capuchins. I was studying macaques at the time, and planning to start a field study of wild capuchins. Although I had published nothing at all at that point, Frans took a serious interest in advising me about my research and invited me to spend a few days with his captive capuchins, so that I could test out my data collection protocols and develop an ethogram suitable to my research questions before I headed to the field. Watching capuchins with him was eye-opening, as he really picked up on every nuance of their interactions and had an intimate knowledge of each individual's personality and social strategies. When I returned from my fieldwork, he gave me helpful comments on each chapter (even though he was not a member of my dissertation committee!) and invited me to conferences he organized -- both in house at Emory and international conferences, such as the conference leading to the Animal Social Complexity book he edited with Peter Tyack. The many workshops and conferences that I participated in, due to Frans' informal mentoring of me, were invariably the most interesting of my career, and the most likely to lead to new lines of research or new collaborations. I will be forever grateful for these opportunities to interact with him and his students and colleagues.
I was extremely pleased to be able to introduce Frans to 'my' capuchins when he attended the 20th anniversary celebration of my field site in 2010. I had invited many of the colleagues (including Frans) who had written letters to the Costa Rican government in support of conservation efforts to preserve the forest where my monkeys lived. These photos show Frans at my field site, where he joined me, my daughter and my students in watching the monkeys.
During his visit, I was once again extremely impressed by how quickly Frans picked up on the nuances of social interaction of monkeys -- this time, monkeys he was meeting for the first time! -- and the ease with which he identified individual monkeys he had been introduced to just once. Ironically, the capuchins had the first amicable intergroup encounter I had ever witnessed on the day Frans was at my site, leading to many jokes about his peacemaking influence.
Frans' abilities as an observer of social interaction are, to my knowledge, unparalleled. His ability to distill (in real time) meaningful polyadic patterns of interaction from a stream of fast-action behavioral chaos have launched some of primatology's most interesting debates, both theoretical and methodological. I am so sorry that I did not have chance to say goodbye in person. I will really miss him and am so grateful for his and Catharine's hospitality on multiple occasions. His influence will, of course, live on as he continues to inspire our research.
Thank you Susan! Frans was a big fan of your work. He loved having the opportunity to visit your Costa Rican field site and watch the monkeys with you and your students. Great memories.