By and large the Chicago Park District Commissioners during my time there were not necessarily animal people. I mentioned at one time, Colonel Arvey was a political entity in town. Joe Gill was also a political person, Mr. McFetridge was Mr. Labor in town, he was not an animal-related person as we think of people interacting with animals. But over the years, one man came into my life, a guy named Franklin Schmick. And somebody in town socially and politically knew Frank. Frank was a very successful businessman who early on in his career in his 20s, I think made himself a ton of money. And he was an animal guy too, and a very unusual, interesting man, very autocratic, very much full of himself. And yet he felt a sort of bonding to the zoo.
