Okay. Summer cottage, bare bones, maybe a light bulb or two very little, no running water to speak of just a rough little cottage. That’s basically how the Lincoln Children’s Zoo was built because it was not gonna house animals on a year round basis. So imagine moving into a… Read More
It was a zoo job. I really wanted a private zoo. Not a municipal zoo. ’cause I had had my fail of being a politician my 10 years at a municipal zoo. And when you’re at a municipal zoo, politics rears his ugly head so many times in your decision… Read More
So in this instance, what type of zoo did you find?… Read More
Never met him. Okay. I had met him previously when I was the director. When we had, I had met him in Miami at a national, A-Z-A-A-A-Z-P-A conference. I had met him, we’d had gone dinner together, but that was the only time I ever met the man. Read More
He was, he, he I think spent like 13 years there. Read More
And did he give you any advice or you never met him?… Read More
Well, my good friend Earl Wells was the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo. He was also a zoo consultant. And he was consulting with the zoo. The Lincoln Children’s Zoo back then in 1986, was known as the Folsom Children’s Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Okay. It was incorporated originally in 1965… Read More
I said, you know, it was political reasons why I lost my, I left my previous zoo and they said most of the applicants left for political reasons. It was kind of hot right then. And so that my predecessor left in February and I started in April. That they,… Read More
Well, Earl was consulting with the zoo at that time to upgrade it and remodel it. And the zoo director left at that time in February of 86. And Earl said, here, write, write a letter to this lady. So I wrote a letter to that lady and the lady… Read More
How does this happen?… Read More
Clarence Wright ran the zoo for a while. Yes, exactly. So it was just kind of a revolving door and ’cause it was a city zoo, there wasn’t any commitment from the city to keep the zoo thriving and going strong. I think subsequently the new gentleman there who is… Read More
You’re interviewing all over, they come to you. How does that happen?… Read More
Who replaced you at the zoo as director?… Read More
I’m trying to recall because it was a revolving door for many years. It, it was a revolving door for many years. I know Phil Frost, who’s retired from Baton Rouge Zoo, was there for a while. It was Johnny Martinez, who’s also retired from the Moto Zoos, was there… Read More
Okay. And so I came into an agreement that I would leave the zoo. That I always wanted to run forever and grow up because it was my hometown zoo. I wanted, that was gonna be my, I was gonna retire from that zoo. But I said, I said I… Read More
Okay. And I said, I’ll give myself a year to find another zoo. You know, and if I don’t find another zoo in that year, I will find another job in South Bend, Indiana in my hometown. And I had other job offers and I did different things. I tore… Read More
And the mayor got his nose out of Ben, got outta shape. The mayor wasn’t able to raise funds for his pet projects. But the zoo was raising money for zoo projects. Okay. When you work at a city zoo, the mayor’s your ultimate boss. Oh. But I was young… Read More
I said, you damn right. I want it. So I got the gig, boy was I stepped into it. So you stay as zoo director Yeah. For approximately one year. Yep. Which seems like a short time. Read More
It was. And, and then you go to another zoo, which we’ll discuss, but why your stadium director’s brief. Why?… Read More
Because I was a cocky smart mouth independent guy who wasn’t gonna be told no, I, I loved the zoo and I was gonna do everything I could for the zoo. And I worked really, really hard for the zoo. And I developed lots of relationships in the community. Media… Read More