Not Chicago cold, but we can get cold. So they described to me or explained I guess a way of looking at our site. And our site was very small. It was just a little over 30 acres at the time, but intensely developed, to look at the zoo like… Read More
Even after we rotated off the board, we still kept in touch and tried to follow up on things that might have started while we were there. Read More
You had indicated, just to change shift a bit, but you’d indicated when you were at the zoo and you’re building, did you have a master plan?… Read More
No, I didn’t believe in master plans. Read More
And did you give Charlie Hessel any advice?… Read More
I’m sure I did. (laughs) One thing is I’m not going around the world on a honeymoon. No, we were a really cohesive group. When I think back on it, and I don’t have the sequences right, but for about a five-year period, our presidents, in addition to me, were… Read More
That was my first presidency. Interestingly, for a year or two, Wagner stayed in Wheeling. And we had a staff in Washington, we had a small staff in Wheeling, and ultimately moved everything to Washington. Now it’s in Silver Spring and it’s done quite well. Read More
And who, when you left the presidency for the first time, who was the next president?… Read More
Charlie Hessel. Read More
The association was growing by leaps and bounds. The professional staff, the association’s professional staff was growing. But we were mired in Wheeling, West Virginia. That was the historical home of the AZA. And that had to do simply with where the, and I may say it wrong, the National… Read More
So there was a lot of discussion about moving the office, which was, had full support of the board, but not support of the senior executive staff, all of whom were entrenched in Wheeling, West Virginia. And I was sworn in as vice president the year that Ron Forman was… Read More
Not Silver Spring, one of the other suburbs of Washington. “Just want to let you know I bought a building.” “Hello? (laughs) What? You did what?” “I bought a building.” “You bought a building.” “Yes, I took several hundred thousand dollars that the AZA had. I bought a building.” “Who… Read More
The Wildlife Conservation and Management Committee. That name has since changed. I’m not even sure what it’s called to this day, but it was the first effort on- It was a recognition and effort by the AZA that if we did not manage the animals scientifically within our collections, we… Read More
Zoo ARKS, I’m not sure what the name is. Clearly it could no longer be called ISIS after what happened in the Middle East. That was not in AZA. That was a totally independent international nonprofit. That was a very real learning experience for all of us because of the… Read More
And what revelations opened your eyes when you were now the president of the association?… Read More
There was a lot going on that first time, and not just the year that I served as president, but the terms that I served on the board. I remember taking a vote, raising my hand to form the WCMC. Read More
Which is?… Read More
I like to think I was a big proponent always of animal welfare. I always tried to put the welfare of the animals first. You had a… As your tenure at the zoo, you had a profession, you had a professional staff. Yes, yes. Read More
And how important was professional growth for your staff to you?… Read More
I actively encouraged our animal staff, from curators down to keepers, to become involved in the AZA, studbook keepers, TAG chairs, TAG committees. I just felt it was very important for them, for the zoo, for our place within this profession, the professional association. And they all prospered from that. Read More