I cannot answer that question. I don’t know. The only reason, of course, is they’re hopefully non-toxic, they don’t corrode, they don’t rust. And so, in some of the exhibits, they were useful that way, but it was never a big deal, at least for me, be able to work… Read More
Was there a time that the Shedd switched from glass fronts to acrylic panels in exhibitry?… Read More
Well, how did they switch?… Read More
The glass fronts on some of the bigger tanks, yes. They went to the acrylics, and you could get larger pieces. And, of course, they’re in the huge tanks, like the oceanariums, particularly at SeaWorld, places like that, acrylics were very useful where you can get enormous sizes. And that’s… Read More
Well, how did artificial seawater affect the… I don’t think there was any appreciable effect or improvement. We were able to keep up the volume we needed ’cause you’re always wasting water and you just can’t help it. You’re cleaning the tanks. You’re siphoning the water off. Sum has to… Read More
How important was the use of acrylics in exhibition?… Read More
How important were acrylics?… Read More
What was the direction you wanted education to take?… Read More
I think the biggest overall direction was just getting school children in there and teaching them as much as they could absorb about the aquatic world. We got some good instructors in there and hopefully sending these kids home with a better appreciation, about what lives under the waves and… Read More
How did that come about and how did that change affect the evolution of the Shedd exhibits?… Read More
What types of things would you have dreamed to do?… Read More
Well, I think I would have put in a very substantial research department and that was something that I never was able to get to. We improved the laboratory. We brought in some research people, but I wasn’t able to expand and make a large research department, which I think… Read More
Just once I had that thrust on me, and it was such a minor thing that I… A friend of one of the board members had a shell collection and he didn’t know what to do with it. And he thought maybe putting it on exhibit at the aquarium, like… Read More
To what extent did space constraints, indoors or outdoors on the aquarium hinder your ability to plan for improvements that called for more space?… Read More
Well, fortunately, we had a lot of open unused space. It was the top, the main floor, where the exhibits were and the public was there. Then the middle level, which was where the filters were. And these were just big concrete boxes that the water came in and flowed… Read More
There was more than a million gallons of water in reservoirs down there. So, originally we filled up that mezzanine area with the education department and then with the business office and with the volunteer office. And eventually, that space was all filled up. Now they have so many people,… Read More
It’s hard to get things done, but as more board members were added, then you started to see the birth of an education committee, a collections committee, a business committee that started helping with the ideas coming to improve the aquarium from these people. And today, that situation is pretty… Read More
Did board members come to you with favorite projects that they wanted you to see, you do?… Read More
Bring in certain type of animals?… Read More
And then eventually we brought in a business manager and he took a big load off of us. I talked to Lee Webber, who was director of the Field Museum. And he had been doing the same thing at the museum. He didn’t have a business manager. And he said,… Read More