Oh boy, fundraising was a major adjustment because I never in my life had reason to go out and ask people for money. In my veterinary days in my animal hospital, I ran a business, I took care of sick animals, and charge a fee, and made myself a comfortable living. And I certainly contributed to some causes that I believed in. But once I was at the zoo, and I realized that the Old Zoo in Lincoln Park needed help. The Park District were supportive, but only up to a point. And so if we were ever gonna rebuild the old facility, if we were ever gonna add programs that were important, such as education, and conservation, and science and things, the Park District said, “Our mission in Chicago is recreation. “If you wanna do things, go out and raise money.” And to my good fortune Marlin, when he was still there, was part of starting up a so-called Friends of the Zoo. And it ended up being called The Lincoln Park Zoological Society.
