Gratitude for Jelle
I was Jelle’s last graduate student. He was my advisor, mentor, collaborator and friend, a very important person in my life and I will always be grateful to him.
I’ve had varied interests from a young age, but when I decided in middle age that I was ready to transition from a long career as a theatre set designer/professor of design to become a fish biologist, nearly everybody thought I was out of my mind. Jelle was one of the few people I approached with this idea who seemed to truly understand the connection I felt between the art I was doing and my intense desire to pursue biology. He not only took me seriously, but he helped me to develop a road map for how I could make that crazy dream a reality, explaining that it would be a long and difficult road but would be possible if I was willing to be tenacious. It was indeed a long, difficult, wonderful, fascinating, tortuous road, and Jelle was there through it all to provide calm, confident, practical guidance. Because of Jelle I was able to complete my PhD program, and I am now a biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. I can honestly say that Jelle remains an important part of every habitat restoration, every migratory fish, every project I currently have the privilege to work on.
In addition to art and science, I also connected with Jelle through my Dutch family, including a stepfather who grew up in the Netherlands during the war, my own time living there (and my very limited Dutch), and even a nephew also named Jelle! Perhaps some things are meant to be.
I will dearly miss Jelle – the inspiration he provided; his extraordinary intellect and insatiable curiosity; some of the best conversations of my life; a deep connection to people, art, music, good food, good fun. I can never repay him for all that he did for me but I will strive to pay it forward as best I can. I am grateful to his family and to Meg for the wonderful memorial on Saturday (Jelle would have loved it!), and I wish you all love and comfort and even some joy during this time of grieving.
Jelle and me after my dissertation presentation
In his shark lab at MBL
Neolithic flute demonstration for his sensory biology class