And it usually was something that was not, it had nothing to do with anything that you thought that you were guilty of, it usually came from left field, and I never quite understood that relationship. For instance, one of the things that he was absolutely nutcase about was renewal… Read More
Did you still have the freedom that the other assistant directors before you had in the purchasing and the disposition of animals at the zoo?… Read More
Yes, I had all of the freedoms of the previous administration. The freedom that was a little questionable from time to time was that during the same time that I was assistant director, I was very active in the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. And he had been one of… Read More
And I remember saying to him, with or without your help, I’m going to do everything that I can to assume that position, and I did. I did, and it was probably one of the most rewarding times of my life, and I don’t think he ever forgave me for… Read More
And he would let me know in uncertain terms. And I think during my tenure as assistant director and then as the director of collections, he and I took probably two famous Lester walks. Read More
And if Lester wanted to go for a walk with you, that it wasn’t good, but the Lester walk was, oh-oh, what do I do now?… Read More
And then you go back through your brainstem and you go, okay, what have I done?… Read More
I think our relationship, we always were good friends, we were colleagues. I took his daughters to Africa one year, we babysat for his house and his dog when they were away on trips, we had that kind of a relationship, but we were not truly friends in the typical… Read More
I think when, I believe that when I interviewed for the position, he had a list of things that, he had a list of things for me, that for me, an individual, that he said, these are the things that I’d like us, which means you, to accomplish. And these… Read More
Was your relationship with Dr. Fisher the same?… Read More
That is, his management style continued to be what it was, was he, was there a different relation, kind of laugh. Read More
So was there a different relationship because now you were in a new position, so it changed a bit or stayed the same?… Read More
So you had ideas or you had goals that you felt I can now further them and what were they?… Read More
Not so much stated goals or list of goals or something put on paper, but rather philosophical goals, attitudinal goals about how to treat the collection, how personnel would treat it, how people needed to be treated as individuals, how we could make the zoo a more inviting place to… Read More
Did he understand what you were going to want to try and do, or was he telling you what he needed for you to do in this new position?… Read More
Tell us about, you know, how that transpired and why did you decide to apply for the position and were you just the choice automatically, or were there other people within the zoo that wanted it or internationally that wanted it?… Read More
When the then assistant director went on to become director at another zoo, the position opened. And I don’t, as I look back on it, I really don’t know how it all happened. I don’t think I was the heir apparent. I think there were certainly would be interest from… Read More
I’m glad I had the opportunity, but it did, as I alluded to earlier, it brought me one step further removed from the things that were most important to me, at least in the early part of my career. And I had to make that conscious decision about would this… Read More
What were you thinking though, when you said I could improve?… Read More
Can you kind of tell me what you meant by that?… Read More