George & Me

“George was a good little monkey, and always very curious.”
         -Margret and H.A. Rey, Curious George Gets a Medal

Curious George came to me in the form of a smiling stuffed animal when I was six months old. Today, my father laughs about how that simple gift led to my lifelong passion for primatology.

Many of my memories from my first five years revolve around both the stuffed animal and the books in which he was featured, Margret and H.A. Rey’s Curious George series. I delighted in listening to my father read Curious George books, and as a young artist, the mischievous simian was my favorite subject to draw. My room was filled with Curious George paraphernalia, and I received more George stuffed animals and toys. Frequent childhood visits to the nearby zoo helped my adoration for primates grow. While my mother and sisters continued to other exhibits, my father would stay with me while I lagged behind at the primate house, enthralled by tamarins, gibbons, and gorillas—real-life relatives of the fictional Curious George.

Primates remain a passion of mine to this day. Anyone who skims the science section of a newspaper will notice that, recently, many articles have been written about the impressive cognitive abilities of chimpanzees or evidence of gorillas using tools in the wild. These articles excite me; it’s my greatest dream to someday study these apes in close proximity—monitoring their behavior, figuring out what might go through their minds, or perhaps even interacting with them—in an attempt to clarify just how human-like our closest relatives really are. I suppose I was attracted to George for the same reason monkeys and apes drew me in. I could almost see my reflection in his face.