Temple Grandin

by Anita Lesko

  Miriam is one of Temple’s current graduate students I had the pleasure of meeting, as well.

  Miriam S. Martin

  Livestock Behavior and Welfare

  Department of Animal Sciences

  Colorado State University

  I grew up on a farm with all kinds of different animals and always knew that I would pursue a career that was tied to animal science. I went to college and I struggled with finding what I wanted to do with my life. I liked nutrition, reproduction, and meat science, but none of those subjects were my passion. I called Temple the summer before I graduated on a whim, and she encouraged me to come be a part of her livestock behavior and welfare department.

  Taking her up on that offer is one of the best decisions that I have ever made. I finally found my purpose, and where I can contribute to the field of animal science. Behavior and welfare are tough subjects, our job is to find answers to ethical questions that lots of people in animal science are afraid to touch. Temple has been doing hard things all her life. Breaking into a male dominated industry—full of those who had no reason to listen to her thoughts, much less put those ideas into practice—was a tough mountain to climb. Temple is persistent. At seventy years-old, she still travels constantly because she wants to help people.

  Temple has no boundaries. There’s no audience she is afraid to talk to, no issue she is willing to ignore. I’ve learned so many things from Temple. She has no affinity for earthly possessions, money means nothing to Temple. She funds our stipends and research in the behavior and welfare department through her personal finances. That is unheard of, but meaningful research that improves the lives of animals is what is close to Temple’s heart.

  Temple isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. At well over retirement age it would be easy to step down, and say it’s time for the young folks to take over. Yet Temple still climbs up the walkway along the handling facility she designed out at the school farm, and shows students how to calmly handle cattle. She is as invested as ever in teaching the next generation the importance of animal welfare.

  Temple reads scientific publications in the evening, and will come to school the next day with her eyes twinkling, wanting to share the newest break-through in science. She has a love for not only teaching, but also learning. She understands the value of cross-disciplinary research and working with people from diverse backgrounds to make impactful discoveries. Temple has taught me the value of being a lifelong learner with an open mind.

  Temple has very distinct principles that she lives by, and that mindset translates to how she approaches animal welfare. She believes in doing things right the first time. Getting the opportunity to learn from her has changed the way that I see the world. I will always be grateful for the time I have gotten to spend with her.

  I go to church with a little boy who has autism, and I think I interact with him better now that I know Temple and have a better grasp of autism. My mother works with ASD children, so I had some understanding of autism before meeting Temple. It sounds silly, but watching the Temple Grandin movie helped me better understand Temple, and many people have mentioned to me that the movie really opened their eyes.

  Autism is part of Temple and her identity, but at the end of the day she doesn’t let it define her. I think her willingness to embrace the challenges that come with it, but at the same time never play the victim, is really admirable. In some ways, watching how she approaches autism has helped us as her students understand how to work with her.

  Truthfully, I just see Temple as Temple 99 percent of the time; her having autism doesn’t even cross my mind when I’m talking to her. She’s a very talented person with a unique perspective. It takes time to get to know anyone we come into contact with, and learn how to best interact with them. Getting to know Temple and work with her is no different in that respect.

  I met Ruth at Temple’s birthday celebration. She earned her PhD just a few years ago under Temple’s program. Temple gave Ruth a huge hug, too. I asked Temple what stands out in her mind about Ruth, and here was her response: “Ruth was another person who was really good at teaching, a great teacher. She’s now working for a company that audits food safety and animal welfare.” I got to talk a bit to Ruth at the party, and she shared with me about when she was a student at CSU with Temple. She stated she was a single parent with a little boy, and that it is not easy working on your PhD with all that, but Temple helped her in many ways, and she’s forever grateful for that. She remembered the time that Temple gave her little boy a great big hug. It meant the world to her.

  Here’s what Ruth shared:

  Ruth Woiwode

  Manager of Livestock Audit Services

  Food Safety Net Services Certification & Audit

  There have been so many moments of laughter and even tears with Temple that when I look back and reflect, it’s hard to pick one that has had more impact than another—they have all collectively changed my life.

  A memory from graduate school that stands out (of which there are many) was when Temple was giving the general seminar for the Department of Animal Sciences at CSU, and she was asked if she still uses her hug machine. Temple stated that it had broken some time previously, and said, “Now I rely on people like my friend, Ruth, for hugs.” Initially, I was very embarrassed, because I was painfully shy and she had singled me out in front of the entire department. It wasn’t long before I realized the impact of what she had said. I was her graduate student, but she had called me her friend … probably the highest compliment she could have paid me. That message was driven home this week, while we were together. She kindly gave me a copy of her recent book, Temple Grandin’s Guide to Working with Farm Animals. I asked her if she would autograph it, and she wrote: “To Ruth: a great friend.”

  Temple shared this with me about Erika: “She did animal welfare for McDonald’s, then she went on as an independent consultant. I call her my non-matriculated student because she never went to the university with me, but we did lots of training out in the field. Now she’s gotten to be a real expert on kosher slaughter, and I helped her out on that, too.”

  Travels with Temple

  By Erika L. Voogd

  President, Voogd Consulting, Inc.

  I’ve always told myself that someday I would write a book with this title, but at this moment, it is someone else’s that I am contributing to. I only have one truly famous friend, and that would be Temple. Eustacia Cutler did the world a big favor by naming her first born “Temple”, as there are few individuals who possess similar talents, achievements, or accomplishments. By having such an uncommon and rarely utilized name, Temple herself became as recognizable as Oprah, Cher, and Sinatra! Of course, the embroidered cowboy shirt that has become her trademark also helps!

  The first time I heard the name “Temple” was at the University of Illinois, circa 1979, when a friend of mine, Amy, was helping her with pig studies at the South Farms campus. Amy would tell me she needed to go work with Temple on projects and research. Temple also came to speak to one of my graduate classes on experimental design. She was already memorable, due to the monotone voice and subjects she shared about animal behavior and welfare. At the time, confinement and feedlot growing of livestock was taking off: more, bigger, better and faster. My classmates and I looked at her, knowing she was different, but I do not believe that at that time that I understood what autism was, or that Temple was considered to have it.

  Years later, my work took me to Australia to visit a meat plant. Marie, my Aussie co-worker, bragged to me that the plant was a “Temple Grandin” design, and that Temple herself had crawled up the cattle chutes before approving the facility. Again, her name immediately identified who she was. Only a few months later, I was celebrating my fortieth birthday in Sedona, Arizona and saw Dr. Grandin featured on a documentary about calming livestock, including horses. I told my husband, “Hey, I went to college with that woman!”

  In 1999, my boss handed me a proposal stating that the McDonald’s M
eat Safety Team was planning to add Humane Handling Auditing to the harvest plant reviews for beef and pork. The information explained that auditors would measure stun results, slips, falls, vocalizations (moos), and transport. I was doubtful about the concept of counting moos, but after visiting the first plant to train with Temple, I was fully on board. Humane handling became a passion, thanks to the contagious nature of Temple’s enthusiasm and skill for teaching the McDonald’s System how to assess the stress level of animals at the time of harvest. During the early days, we were neophytes in our knowledge, so we called Dr. Grandin frequently to ask questions and verify results. She wholeheartedly and without hesitation returned every call, as she still does today, and shared her expertise at all hours of the day or night, regardless of where she was or where in the world we were.

  One memorable measure of Temple’s fame was the latest update on how often she was recognized in an airport. When I first met her, it was once in six trips to an airport. A few years later, one in four. Then, by 2003, one in two visits. Now, it is probably once on every street corner thanks to the 2010 HBO movie, Time magazine, and most recently, her induction into the 2017 Women’s Hall of Fame.

  I’m sorry to momentarily interrupt Erika’s submission on Temple. She just mentioned about Temple’s fame, and airports. Just the other day, Temple shared with me about the time she met Sigorney Weaver at London’s Heathrow International Airport. Very excitedly, Temple said, “Oh yes! Well, I ran into Sigorney Weaver in customs at London Heathrow International Airport. She got me in the super elite line, and I went right through customs rather than having to wait forty-five minutes!” She thought that was pretty exciting. Obviously, Sigorney Weaver thought the same thing about meeting Temple Grandin!

  Back to Erika’s submission:

  The interesting guidance that Temple has always aspired to, during her life and many accomplishments, is “never forget where you started and who you are.” She still takes the same amount of time for a high-level CEO as she does for a parent in a third-world country who has a question about their ASD child. She has never failed to return my phone calls, regardless of the topic or level of urgency. We have traveled together to Hong Kong, China, Canada, Brazil and Australia. It is not unusual to find us singing childhood commercials while we drive. She has “wowed” foreigners with her “Oakey from Muskogee” lyrics, or the words to the Bonanza TV show theme.

  I’ve got to interrupt Erika’s piece once again. I couldn’t resist this one! I remembered asking Temple if she has a favorite song or listens to music. Temple’s reply surprised me! “I love The Phantom of the Opera! I like to blast that out! I just gave a talk in a theater the other day that had an old Wurlitzer organ. I said, ‘I wish we could play The Phantom of the Opera on that. I’d like to have heard that organ blow that theater away!’ They said they don’t play it because it would bother some of the kids with autism. I kind of felt upset that I didn’t get to hear that old mighty Wurlitzer play!” What was surprising to me is I love that song too, blasting loud. There’s nothing else I want to hear loud, just The Phantom of The Opera.

  It gets even better. Temple continued, sharing this tidbit with me. “One concert I was at, I remember I was at Arizona State University in a big hall, and they had a Virgil Fox heavy organ! Man, did I get into that! I stood up in the middle of the crowd yelling, ‘Encore, encore!’ as I was jumping up and down. They did a whole encore just because of me. And I play Phantom really loud in my car. Of course, I saw Phantom on Broadway, and it was wonderful. Michael Crawford and Sara Brightman were absolutely wonderful.”

  Now, where was Mick Jackson when we needed him to capture Temple on film doing that?

  Back to Erika’s piece:

  I have attended an autism seminar sponsored by Future Horizons and seen mothers come up to her with tears in their eyes, asking Temple to autograph their child’s picture as they thank her for the book, Emergence, which helped each mom to understand what their silent child was thinking. People have stopped me in the ladies’ room and asked, “What is she like?” Temple laughs, “What am I like? What does that mean?”

  I have been fortunate enough to share private moments when she is sitting at an airport gate and needs a friend to talk to before the flight takes off. We ponder the plights of the world, such as the Iraq war or insurance coverage for her engineer and best friend, Mark. She described the Emmy awards as “a wild ride.” She worries constantly about big picture issues such as education of today’s youth: establishing boundaries, yet pushing each child just a little further than they thought they could go.

  And when I hesitated with my career and considered bowing out, she told me, “Please don’t, I need you. You have to warm the steel to bend it. We are making progress, even if it is just baby steps.” So at the end of the day, I ask myself, why I am I part of Temple’s inner circle? There are many that consider her special, and there are certainly those more educated, more renowned, and more revered. So it is with gratitude that I write this and say that being Temple’s friend is a privilege, an honor, and a great responsibility. One that comes with expectation. She must find some reason for believing that the vision and goals she has are being carried out by those closest to her. So we all look with affection, respect, and appreciation. Thank you, Temple, for being our guide and our friend.

  I met Helen at Temple’s party, and have watched her in action out at the farm, where she was operating the hydraulic controls of the center track restrainer as the cattle were coming through. She’s currently one of Temple’s graduate students.

  Here is what Helen said:

  Helen C. Kline

  Graduate Teaching/Research Assistant

  Livestock Behavior and Welfare

  Department of Animal Sciences

  Colorado State University

  Dr. Temple Grandin is a modern-day titan in both the autism and agricultural communities. When I first met her, as a freshman in college, I heard her speak at the George Bush Library at Texas A&M University. She spoke about common agricultural practices and how her autism allows her to see the world in a different way. I walked away from that presentation with a passion to pursue new innovative ideas to benefit the agricultural industry, but also a new understanding of how my own little sister, who has autism, perceives the world. Dr. Grandin has given me the opportunity to explore my own potential as an animal science graduate student, while providing guidance for my own personal growth and development.

  I also met Faith at CSU, and she’s currently Temple’s graduate student as well.

  Faith Baier

  Research/Teaching Assistant

  Department of Animal Sciences

  Livestock Behavior & Welfare

  Colorado State University

  Dr. Temple Grandin has impacted my life in many ways, and my journey with her has only begun. Earning the opportunity to work with Temple has been an amazing experience. Temple always shows her strong passion for the agriculture industry and mentoring others. She is incredibly dedicated to making a difference. Her strong desire to help and inform others is very inspiring. She always makes sure to be present for her class, even with a crazy travel schedule. She manages many speaking and professional events with ease. She never fails to amaze me with her many talents, passion for life and animals, and abundance of knowledge about nearly everything. She truly has defied numerous odds throughout her life. Her strong devotion to communicate how she views the world in pictures serves as a reminder for me to always remain observant. Oftentimes, problems with animals (and life in general) can be solved by paying attention to the simple details. There is no sense in making things more complicated than they truly are. Temple will forever impact how I think and view situations throughout my life. I am constantly inspired to reach for more and strive to leave an impact on the world, even if it’s only a fraction of what she has already created.

  Morgan is also one of Temple’s current graduate students, whom I also met at CSU.

  Morgan Schaeperkoett
er

  Graduate Teaching/Research Assistant

  Department of Animal Sciences

  Livestock Behavior and Welfare

  Colorado State University

  Since I was a young girl, I have always taken a special interest in animals. I asked my parents for many different types of animals, from when I was barely walking all the way through high school. I would always take special care for each animal, no matter how small or wild, including my passion for horses, cattle, and hogs as I was growing up.

  I always felt a special connection to them, almost as if I could look at them and understand what they felt or needed. For many years I heard of Temple Grandin, the special way she interacted with animals, and the unique way in which she understood them. She became an advocate for the way they were handled, even as they were raised and transported to facilities to become food for the American consumer. I admired her and her role as a strong, influential woman in agriculture. I was so moved by how she didn’t change or try to fit in, but stood out in the crowd and became a new voice for the industry.

  Temple influenced my life profoundly. I felt a special connection to her over the years as I read her books and publications, and watched the movie that was made about her life. The first time I saw Temple in action was when I was working as an intern at Seaboard Foods, and looked over in the plant to see her working with the team, advising them on how hogs were being moved about in their processing facility. I had always been interested in going into this career, and as I learned more about how she helped facilities and the industry understand the need for humane animal handling, it became even more apparent that I wanted to learn from her and her passion for animals and the handling of them. She greatly influenced my career choice by bringing to the forefront of the industry the need to be an advocate for animals. She brought about a revolution of the importance of the industry’s handling of animals as they become part of American agriculture’s ability to feed the world, and ultimately gave my career choice even more purpose and meaning.