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
You mentioned members of the board, what was the makeup of the board, and how did they help?… Read More
You mentioned the beginning of fundraising. Yeah, well, the first place they started enlarging, the membership of the board. Originally, when I got there, it was 15 people. And then I can’t remember exactly how many were added. We had to change the bylaws and say the board shall consist… Read More
And then they said, “Well, that was pretty nice. “We did this big job.” And so I think a million 1.2 went into building the coral reef tank, and then the rest of the money was used to start rehabilitating the mechanical system, taking the lead pipe out, putting in… Read More
So these were things that you wanted to start, were there other procedures or organizational things when you became director, you wanted to try and get into place?… Read More
Oh, sure. I mean, I had a lot of ideas what we should do. Education department, volunteer department, research department, just improve the laboratory to just to do routine water analysis, we never had that. I wanted a library, development membership department. None of those things were in place. So… Read More
I did not live in it, but I inherited the apartment and my wife and I used it occasionally when there was some event going on downtown, didn’t wanna drive home at night. We stayed there, and I used it for my lunchroom also. Read More
When you became director, what was the condition of the Shedd Aquarium when you inherited it?… Read More
Well, it was a heck of a lot better than when I first started out in 1950. ‘Cause we had made a lot of these changes to the physical plant of the aquarium. Got it dressed up, but there was not much that was done to let’s say the educational… Read More
So we took a trip around the country, that was myself, Donal Olsen, who was our architect on the board, Larry Carlton, who went along, and one other person, I can’t remember who it was. But we flew around the country mostly to the West Coast to see what those… Read More
And then down a corridor, the bedroom was off to one side, and then a dining room, and then a big kitchen with a breakfast next to it. So design-wise, it left a lot to be desired, but it was his free of charge, all his heat, light. The only… Read More
And he finally then decided he would have to get out in the country. So he bought a piece of property out, in what became Elk Grove Village just immediately next door here. And he moved out there, but he still kept the apartment and he kept his dogs out… Read More
Did you ever live in the apartment as director?… Read More
When he retired, they kept him on as sort of a, I guess consultant would be. And he sort of looked at me pathetically, and he says, “Well, I don’t know where I’m gonna sit, “where I’m gonna have an office.” And I said, feeling very guilty about this. I… Read More
And to digress a bit when Chute was there, when you took over, there was an apartment in the aquarium?… Read More