What would you like to do in this career?” I said, “Well, I’d like to make a contribution and I’d like to be the best that I can be.” And I said, “I’m a little concerned about whether I can gain that at the Kansas City Zoo or another smaller… Read More
So, that I knew what I could do and what I couldn’t do and that was all new to me, all totally new, totally foreign. But it worked and was great. Great place. But that training in unions stood you in good stead later on. Well, when you work with… Read More
And he says, “What do you want to do in your profession?… Read More
Was it the economic thing to do?… Read More
There was a jillion questions and I was sharing this with him. Read More
Wonderfully. In fact, he said something to me that has always stuck. ‘Cause he was sitting across behind his desk, I was sitting on the other side now. You understand, you’re a budding zoologist. Well, you sure to know who Roger Conant is, he’s the paramount herpetologist in your little… Read More
Was this a smart thing to do?… Read More
Yes, he did. Read More
How’d you interact with him?… Read More
Did he interview you?… Read More
Roger Conant. Read More
And I began there in maybe May of 1970, something like that. It was a wonderful experience, Gus was a great mentor. Read More
Who was the director at the time?… Read More
I became aware of the job at Philadelphia in the spring. I gotta think. No, it was in the fall of 1969. There was a National Zoo Conference, which I think was Oklahoma City if I remember. And at that time, an announcement was made by Gus Griswold, that he… Read More
Those were the deans. Those were the teachers. Those were the mentors. And of course, Carrie Muller, I forget Carrie. And so, someone who attended the meeting came back and told me, “Hey, they’re looking for a bird curator.” And I knew Gus, so I called him and I said,… Read More
And then you decided, what prompted you to seek employment at the Philadelphia Zoo and how’d you hear about that they even had a job?… Read More
So, you were at Kansas City from ’67 to 1970?… Read More
I was there at Kansas City from ’67 to 1970. Read More
When I was at Kansas City, I think the first zoo professional that I ever met at the time was Gary Clark ’cause Gary was an alumni of the Kansas City Zoo. And then there was a curator of birds at the National Zoo named Carrie Muller and Carrie really… Read More
And I found that as you became familiar with these people and they became familiar with you, all you had to do was ask and you got an answer. Read More