Jane Goodall is 2013 Rose Parade Grand Marshal

The Tournament of Roses has just announced that the Grand Marshal for the 2013 Rose Parade will be Jane Goodall. The Parade whose theme is Oh, The Places You’ll Go will be held on New Year’s Day, 2013.

In July 1960, at the age of 26, Jane Goodall traveled from England to what is today Tanzania and bravely entered the little-known world of wild chimpanzees. She was equipped with nothing more than a notebook and a pair of binoculars. But with her unyielding patience and characteristic optimism, she won the trust of these initially shy creatures. She managed to open a window into their sometimes strange and often familiar-seeming lives. The public was fascinated and remains so to this day.