I was in my interactions with the zoo society, I was pretty much guided on where I was to go, not so much what I was to do, but what the boundaries were, what the limits were, who I was to help and how I was to help them in… Read More
Now as assistant director, did your role change in your participation in the budget process and setting priorities or in identifying new capital issues?… Read More
Or was there already this, I’ll say master plan, for lack of a better word, that was in place?… Read More
When you first assumed the title of assistant director, was there any big concern looming that you had when you started the new position?… Read More
I don’t think in assuming the position of assistant director, I never gave it a second thought. I just thought it was a logical evolution of where I had been, where I’d come from, that I could use the skills that I had and just move on. I don’t think… Read More
One of that being with the zoo society, how did you specifically have to interact with them?… Read More
I’m not sorry I did it. I’m very pleased with the accomplishments that were made during my time on the AZA board and during that presidency. Read More
And then we’ll talk more about that, but did you feel that that, were you still collegial though, in your day-to-day and things you had to do as a system director?… Read More
Oh, on a day-to-day basis, despite our differences, sometimes of opinion, we were, we had a job to do, we had a zoo to operate. We have funds to raise, we had programs to give, we had animals to manage, we had people to hire. Yes, we were, there were… Read More
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