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Dr. Wade Davis, ‘71: An Explorer Returns to Mill Bay
As the school recently prepared for the grand opening of the new Centre for Art and Humanities, the Board of Governors, alumni, parents, and Emeritus Faculty have flocked onto campus to participate in the events of this momentous week. At the forefront of this migration was Dr. Wade Davis, Class of ’71, one of the world’s most influential researchers and writers in the field of ethno-botany.
On Thursday, Dr. Davis spent the first hour of his visit in a lunch forum with senior students who listened intently as he described his career path, which he descried as a lifetime of “serendipitous moments” which he chose to take advantage of, often on a whim. And so he encouraged the senior students to never settle for the ordinary, to live one’s life with a mind open to opportunities and an eagerness for difficult challenges.
The afternoon saw Wade touring the campus with Mrs. Pennells and the Board, as well as delivering what was acclaimed by students as a “revelatory” lecture on his adventures and the wisdom he has gained from a lifetime of living among indigenous peoples in exotic locales as diverse as the Andes, Polynesia, Haiti and Canada’s far north. Wade told stories of meeting isolated Amazonian tribes in South America with an unbelievably acute knowledge and understanding of the tens of thousands of exotic plants to be found in their jungle home. He recounted his mission to Haiti in search of toxins used in secretive Voodoo rituals which citizens claimed had turned its victims into zombies, or, as it was determined by Wade, completely paralyzed them by means of blowfish poison. The lecture was more than just a recount of his numerous adventures; he had deeper lessons he was passing on to the students: every culture is a unique expression of humanity’s coming to terms with the world, a series of adaptation to our various environments; we are each a part of a culture that makes certain assumptions and creates certain customs.
Students were captivated by Dr. Davis’ words and images. They asked questions and received answers which both shocked and motivated them. When asked by a student whether he had ever been rejected or threatened when visiting a different culture, Wade answered that though cultures may differ, they share many similarities, and that if one is aware of these, and sensitive to them, one can, over time, become a part of any society.
Dr. Davis also spoke of cultures closer to home, including the native tribes of BC’s interior who have, in recent years, been threatened by a “tsunami of development”, the construction of pipelines, power lines, and mines that are likely to be detrimental to them and the local ecology. He spoke of the passion he felt for the land after having lived in the northwest of the province among First Nations and how thriving wildlife and clear waters are slowly becoming threatened and polluted. He certainly evoked a consciousness in the students that, hopefully, will spark further activism in the future.
The fascination the presentation induced in the students may stem, partly, from the fact that Wade was a student at Brentwood, that he too wore the uniform and sat in the classrooms which we now inhabit, and that he managed to become a world-renowned Harvard scholar, author, National Geographic Explorer in Residence: a man of Indiana Jones-like adventures. But as Dr. Davis said at lunch, every path requires one step to be taken at a time, because when one takes those little steps and is open to wherever they may lead, one can truly lead a rich life.
Robin J
On Thursday, Dr. Davis spent the first hour of his visit in a lunch forum with senior students who listened intently as he described his career path, which he descried as a lifetime of “serendipitous moments” which he chose to take advantage of, often on a whim. And so he encouraged the senior students to never settle for the ordinary, to live one’s life with a mind open to opportunities and an eagerness for difficult challenges.
The afternoon saw Wade touring the campus with Mrs. Pennells and the Board, as well as delivering what was acclaimed by students as a “revelatory” lecture on his adventures and the wisdom he has gained from a lifetime of living among indigenous peoples in exotic locales as diverse as the Andes, Polynesia, Haiti and Canada’s far north. Wade told stories of meeting isolated Amazonian tribes in South America with an unbelievably acute knowledge and understanding of the tens of thousands of exotic plants to be found in their jungle home. He recounted his mission to Haiti in search of toxins used in secretive Voodoo rituals which citizens claimed had turned its victims into zombies, or, as it was determined by Wade, completely paralyzed them by means of blowfish poison. The lecture was more than just a recount of his numerous adventures; he had deeper lessons he was passing on to the students: every culture is a unique expression of humanity’s coming to terms with the world, a series of adaptation to our various environments; we are each a part of a culture that makes certain assumptions and creates certain customs.
Students were captivated by Dr. Davis’ words and images. They asked questions and received answers which both shocked and motivated them. When asked by a student whether he had ever been rejected or threatened when visiting a different culture, Wade answered that though cultures may differ, they share many similarities, and that if one is aware of these, and sensitive to them, one can, over time, become a part of any society.
Dr. Davis also spoke of cultures closer to home, including the native tribes of BC’s interior who have, in recent years, been threatened by a “tsunami of development”, the construction of pipelines, power lines, and mines that are likely to be detrimental to them and the local ecology. He spoke of the passion he felt for the land after having lived in the northwest of the province among First Nations and how thriving wildlife and clear waters are slowly becoming threatened and polluted. He certainly evoked a consciousness in the students that, hopefully, will spark further activism in the future.
The fascination the presentation induced in the students may stem, partly, from the fact that Wade was a student at Brentwood, that he too wore the uniform and sat in the classrooms which we now inhabit, and that he managed to become a world-renowned Harvard scholar, author, National Geographic Explorer in Residence: a man of Indiana Jones-like adventures. But as Dr. Davis said at lunch, every path requires one step to be taken at a time, because when one takes those little steps and is open to wherever they may lead, one can truly lead a rich life.
Robin J
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