You need to be able to talk to everybody at every level. I talk to the custodians, the laborers, the keepers, the curators, the donors, my board, all the same. For better or worse, all the same. And so I think to be able to, and the press and the… Read More
What skillset does the zoo director need today as compared to when you started?… Read More
Because of my animal background, the fact that I was zoo veterinarian, and at that time I came on board, there were a lot of finance people, marketing people who were starting to show up in the ranks. And that’s even worse now. And so I thought it was very… Read More
I mean, the reason why you’re able to be successful, and the reason why you’re able to raise a hundred thousand dollars in 31 years is that you’re passionate about what you’re doing and you’re able to sell that passion. People feel it when you’re talking about something, they can… Read More
Somebody had to be director, and why not have a normal animal person do that?… Read More
Wouldn’t that be a good thing?… Read More
What made me a good zoo director?… Read More
I think because I always looked at the philosophy of several things. Read More
One of them was, I talked to my staff a lot about this, is that somebody had to do the job, right?… Read More
Because if the person doesn’t work out, then it’s gonna be your fault, right?… Read More
And to let that person operate without your advice for the first year. So I was president emeritus of the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, and provided support when they needed it, but I did not directly counsel the new director. Because I feel that they, once again, I feel… Read More
What made you a good zoo director?… Read More
Did you give the new zoo director any advice?… Read More
Well, actually no. I was very steadfast. I had talked to a lot of people about retirement before I retired in the industry, and outside of the industry, too, as well, who had retired. And so they gave me a lot of advice. And one of their advice, key advice,… Read More
You got any suggestions?… Read More
And just shut ’em down. And there was no story. So we didn’t end up being a negative story in the media about how Dr. Baker didn’t know what she was doing, although most of the time she didn’t. But, she just winged it. Now. One last question. One last… Read More
Yay. Read More
Meetings and meetings and more meetings, right?… Read More
And so, I don’t know how we can communicate more. Read More
A hundred people, 145 people at the end there, everybody together. And then horticulture got to where there was a plant of the month. So horticulture brought the plant of the month, and so everybody passed that around. They ask about the care, how can I grow this, blah, blah,… Read More