One high point during a year that has been full of them was the opportunity to meet Dr. Jane Goodall while working on the tribute to Grace Cathedral's Dean Alan Jones, who will be retiring in December. KQED's Don Derheim was kind enough to refer me to the Cathedral and I've had the joy of working with Brent Andrew and Heidi Zuhl in the Public Relations Department there since 2006.

The plan for the tribute was simple: Talk to Alan's friends about his accomplishments. But what a list of friends! We had the honor of speaking with Grace Cathedral board members and colleagues, renown theologian Huston Smith, S.F. Opera Music Director Donald Runnicles, Mayor Willie Brown, A.C.T. Artistic Director Carey Perloff and others.

But as a childhood fan of her captivating television specials with the chimps of Tanzania's Gombe National Reserve, our interview with Dr. Jane Goodall held a very special place in my heart! What fun to meet a childhood hero, if only briefly. She was very gracious and made a point of introducing her stuffed animal companion, "Mr. H," to each of the crewmembers. We all dutifully patted his head as invited.

Dr. Goodall really rose to the occasion and was fantastic on camera, which isn't surprising considering she has been making television throughout her career. But imagine how I felt as she found fault and corrected me, in no uncertain terms, about my composition on the cue cards, viewable in this clip!

We made the changes right away!