Interview 20517 – Caption Index: 55
Example?… Read More
Example?… Read More
For example, elephants. How dangerous they are. And how you relate the zoo to the general public. He was a genius public relations guy, and the connection with the radio station, and so forth. So I learned a lot from him. Read More
So Gary Clarke was the director of the Topeka Zoo?… Read More
Mm-hmm. Read More
And did he, during your time there, give you insight into the zoo profession?… Read More
It start with the top. In Japan, the zoo directorship is just another municipal department head position. And they’ll put someone with absolutely no idea about biology or zoos. A guy who can’t tell a moose from a mouse into the zoo directorship. Just for two, three years. Another, shouldn’t… Read More
They kept the fire going. Not anymore. Now it’s a new middle class is emerging there. But zoo directors are mostly still non-professionals. Read More
You go to Topeka, and you are essentially an animal keeper?… Read More
Animal keeper. Read More
What would you say is the difference between the zoo in Tokyo, and the new zoo you came to in Topeka?… Read More
Zookeeper. Uh, no. Just go back to immigration service. Gary Clarke had a brilliant idea of creating a temporary new zoo job title. Zoo management trainee. Which was another keeper title, but then he somehow came up with a scheme. Went to the labor department, labor department, okay look at… Read More
Immigration service said well, labor department okayed it, so you can have a green card. Not a citizenship yet, but a green card, with which you can stay in this country indefinitely. So that’s how it started, January 1970. I arrived in LA 2nd of July 1969, in January 1970,… Read More
Another person who imported me, quote unquote, imported me, a reptile dealer, whose name was Ray Folsom. And on the west coast in California. And I was a house guest, lived in his guest room for a few months. It was the summer of 1969. July 2nd, that’s the day… Read More
Went to Topeka, Kansas. Which was a very dramatic change. And we went to immigration services. Immigration service says no. You’re not really a person needed in this country. Just go to the labor department. Read More
You go to the labor department, labor department says well what’s the job?… Read More
How did that occur?… Read More
At that time, the culture of Japan, which may seem so fascinating to so many people, really got to me. It’s a highly hierarchical culture. You are not an individual person. You are not Ken. It’s just a little part of the whole system. So it just got to me. Read More
Number one was Marvin Jones who wrote to something like 54 zoo directors and said hey, this guy’s coming to the US, would you help him out?… Read More
Mm-hmm. Read More
Can you tell us the genesis, how did you go from working for the Zoo Society in Tokyo to coming to the United States?… Read More