I was in the army. I was drafted in the army at Fort Bliss, Texas. I was served two years. And I had eight weeks infantry training and then eight weeks artillery training, basic training. And then I was assigned to radar and electronics school which is a nine-month school. Read More
I was training after I finished school, training academy. But I spent almost every other week out in the desert on bivouac where we would be firing our antiaircraft guns. And then the officers would go home for the weekend and we’d have to stay out there and I’d go… Read More
We were out drivin’ up into a canyon and there was a black-tail rattlesnake crossin’ the road and I knew that was quite rare and I caught it. I had several rattlesnakes: green rattlesnakes, prairie rattlesnake, diamondback rattlesnake. All indigenous to that area and I brought ’em back. At that… Read More
And about 3:00 in the morning, the storm came in, the wind blew. The trailer started rocking. Rattlesnakes started rattling. Marilyn sat up said, “You got those damn snakes under the bed. Get rid of ’em.” So I had to take ’em out, took ’em to the shower house which… Read More
That you were married. That we got married. I got drafted. I got my draft notice. We were married just about three weeks when I got shipped off to Fort Bliss, Texas. Read More
What did you serve?… Read More
You were serving for how long?… Read More
So how would you say she impacted you in your career path?… Read More
She tolerated you?… Read More
She barely tolerated me. In fact, she always thought I would outgrow it. She thought I would grow up and calm down, settle down a little bit and be like other normal people, I think. I was always interested in going steady with her, but she never wanted to go… Read More
You talked about your beginning schooling in the St. Louis area. Read More
Did you go on to college?… Read More
I went to Harris Teachers College and I took every biology class. There’s only limited courses available to freshmen and sophomores, but I managed to get study halls in advanced biology courses. So I sat in vertebrate biology. It was study hall and I wasn’t supposed to participate in. But… Read More
Get back in the back of the room where you’re supposed to be studying.” But I had a chance to learn a lot. So in the beginning, Marilyn was in the same school you were at. Marilyn’s at the same school, but she didn’t take as many biology courses that… Read More
What lessons that have stood you good stead?… Read More
Well he was a very, very proud person. He walked with dignity. He was very strict. I had a very strict. As a father, I had to follow all the rules. I guess he was very disciplined. And I think I learned a certain amount of self-discipline from him to… Read More
Were there other animals you were drawn to?… Read More
Well my dad tried to get me interested in natural history and he bought Hardy’s Encyclopedia of Animal History. So I was reading about gorillas and mammals and birds and little bit of everything else, so I had some bird books. He was tryin’ to spread my interest away from… Read More
What did he impart to you?… Read More
Moody Lentz was the general curator then. And Moody would like to have particularly the toads because they needed them to feed the hog-nosed snakes and he would gimme a little behind-the-scenes tour. 15-minute, 20-minute behind-the-scenes tour of the reptile house, so I got to know Moody even as a… Read More