I would say this community, the people of Topeka, Northeast Kansas, because they supported the zoo, which made me look like a good zoo director. My staff, what a team. They made things happen, made me look good. Volunteers, Friends of the Zoo, all these factors, all these combinations came… Read More
And I think we achieved some degree of success in that. Read More
So that could be one of the answers to the question, what made me a good zoo director?… Read More
That’s a good question. (Gary laughing) A difficult one. Oh, wow, today’s zoo directors, my guys would, this is 2010 and I started, I was a zoo director, started in 1963. Obviously that was long before computers. I think today, and most zoo people are this way, I’m sure, need… Read More
How can I answer that?… Read More
I mean, that’s for someone else to evaluate, I guess. I think what made me comfortable and enthused about being a zoo director is number one, I don’t like this phrase, I love animals. I mean, so many people say I love animals and I’m sure they do, but there’s… Read More
So maybe that was the first thing that started it out. Read More
But if you asked the question, what made me a good zoo director?… Read More
Yes, one fun surprise donation. The Rotary Club gave us money for Max the gorilla. And he came in from the zoo and was born in Dallas Zoo, female gorilla born in Kansas City Zoo named Tiffany. And we needed another $5,000 for her. I didn’t have $5,000. I didn’t… Read More
And he said, “I’d like to donate $1,000 to help by Tiffany. And said, “Sorry to call you so late.” I said, “It’s not late. You can call me anytime.” (chuckles) And just within a week, it just, (claps hands) it was fabulous. But that was Topeka responding to the… Read More
What made you a good director?… Read More
(Gary chuckles) What made me a good zoo director?… Read More
It’s tough to raise money in Topeka, let me respond to private money in a minute. We don’t have a lot of corporate entities and the ones we do have have headquarters someplace else. For example, there’s a huge, a huge Goodyear Tire & Rubber plant here. They build tires… Read More
There’s not a lot of other entities to go to. Private money is, the zoo, we worked hard, nobody gives you money. I learned that, nobody gives you money, you earn it. And we worked hard to make our zoo an institution worthy of receiving gifts and an institution where… Read More
But after I left, the one thing that happened was I think the zoo lost its position in the fundraising structure for a variety of reasons. And once you’re out of that position, somebody else comes in and fills that void just like that. Read More
Were there any surprise donations that surprised you?… Read More
Not really in this community. The political process in this community, at least in my tenure as zoo director, didn’t really lend itself well for raising money. I mean, the Huff ‘n Puff Hot Air Balloon Rally did, but not the political process. I mean, except we never did have… Read More
Was it tough to secure private money?… Read More
Yes, it’s tough to pick up because we don’t have a lot of potential, oh, you mean private money?… Read More
You know what?… Read More