Interview 6125 – Caption Index: 219
What am I gonna to do?… Read More
What am I gonna to do?… Read More
I go, “I know what I’m gonna do, “I’m gonna put a chimpanzee out there first. “‘Cause I know if they get out, “the gorillas can get out probably. “But if the chimpanzee can’t get out, nothing can get out.” “That is excellent, Jack. “You know, I’m gonna help you. Read More
“Can you drive a tractor trailer truck?” “I don’t know, but a guy works for me can drive it.” Here we come up there. Our own staff built those things. Those gorillas came out. Attendance went up that summer 175,000 people. That’s what Mr. McConnell did for me. That was… Read More
I’ve told the story. I told the story about that Central Florida Zoo. When I got to Columbus, I could tell the story, what we have up here on the water, the potential here with all these farms we could get. We could get, now we have 600 acres, not… Read More
And I’ll just leave that one example. I went there, I read about him. I went in his office. I said, “Mr. McConnell, “we have the world’s first gorilla born here. “What you, well, that was your big job.” I said, “We have like generations of gorillas, and every, they’re… Read More
I never even seen the gorilla and I got this zoo. He looks at me and he goes, “How do you know the gorillas “won’t get out?” Like that. I go to myself, crap. Read More
He had the largest cylinder company for propane tanks in the world. Now he’s got 50 companies all over the world, but I went to see him in 1981. Our gorilla’s here at Columbus Zoo. I’m gonna flash forward here in a second if I could, ’cause you asked me… Read More
I just came up with all kinds of things. Easter egg hunt, whatever it was, you know, they had, they drew a little tuition. They did those kinds of things. I didn’t go say, “Hey, I’m sorry, I’m building this. “I need $50,000.” With Mr. McConnell, let me tell Mr. Read More
You know what I’ve done all my life?… Read More
Fundraising is very difficult for me, but you know how we built the, been here 35 years, right?… Read More
You could ask anybody that works for me, not one time. I have the last six months because I’m now getting older. I now know what I’m trying to do is to whatever I have left. And we all can’t take anything with us, but you know, let me let… Read More
Some people, zoo people find it easy. I never one time in my first 30 years here, just put 29, 28, 29, 28 years. I never asked for one dime. I went to a man named Mr. McConnell, who owns the Blue Jackets. Who’s a very giving person. He’s gone… Read More
“You’ll lose a lot more money in life now. “You really will, it’s taught you a lesson. “You’ve lost it.” I had to call Bill Chase up. I’ve already named him Crumb. I was, I named my baby elephant Crumb. My wife will tell you, she started crying. Car never… Read More
They were, you and I both know that. So good lesson learned. Now, you were getting animals for zoo, you mentioned you were talking to different people to try and get the money. Read More
How, was fundraising a natural thing for you?… Read More
No Difficult. That’s the hardest thing in my life. Even today at the Columbus Zoo. Read More
“It grows big, don’t you understand? Don’t you get it, Jack?… Read More
“What you gonna do with the elephant?” “I know Knoxville zoo me.” “The Knoxville Zoo, “they can’t even take care of old diamond. “I know the guy who’s on the board of this thing. “Are you crazy? It’s not coming here.” And when my dad tells me those things, I… Read More
“You know what, Jack?… Read More
I go, God help me, did to myself and my brother just took off, he just walked away. Read More