nytimes October 1, 2021 5:01pm R. Allen Gardner, 91, Dies; Taught Sign Language to a Chimp Named Washoe #gardnerrallen19302021 #deathsobituaries #gardnerbeatrixtugendhut #animalbehavior #monkeysandapes #languageandlanguages #signlanguage #universityofnevadareno #washoe #science #news R. Allen Gardner, 91, Dies; Taught Sign Language to a Chimp Named Washoe He and his wife and collaborator made headlines with their finding that they could communicate with a young ape using the language of the deaf.