This renovation fell in line with some other renovations. A new cat exhibit had been completed. The primate house had been completed, been renovated. The herpatarium had been, I think it had been renovated, that I think the birdhouse was the last. Obviously had the opportunity to work with these… Read More
So, all this had to be taken into account. So, we designed all of this and it was done as a team effort. We had design teams. And so, I would work with the architects and the engineers. Read More
And it really turned out to be a very, very spectacular product when it was finished. Read More
Was this your vision to do this or was it one that the director had or how did this renovations come about?… Read More
And we went from individual museum type glass type windows to high tension wires like the ones that had been done at Pittsburgh Aviary which was probably the first place that that’s been done. So, we had all these high tension wire, I think there’s over almost 9,000 of them. Read More
What can happen here to make it better than it is?… Read More
Well, it was probably at that time, largely just cleaning it up, getting rid of some things that had become too numerous, too common and we really started working with things that needed to be worked with from a conservation and avicultural standpoint. I can remember even importing birds from… Read More
What can the waterfowl collection truly be?… Read More
I did. Read More
I think the goals were all directed toward, okay, what can this collection be?… Read More
Did you have some goals in mind?… Read More
I think that was pretty much it. So, after getting it straightened out… Oh, it had a tremendous aviculture program in terms of I don’t know how many incubators we had but they weren’t all running and weren’t in condition to run. So, it was I think the first year… Read More
The collection at the St. Louis Zoo at that time?… Read More
Well, I guess it got to be more so later but it was probably the largest waterfowl collection in the publicly owned institution, perhaps in the world. Obviously waterfowl has been a real interest of mine but it had a birdhouse which was antiquated but nevertheless, it was there. It… Read More
I think my responsibilities, at least the direction that he had given me was a fairly simple one because prior to my arrival there, there had been, as I understand, I never knew the gentleman. There had been an individual who hadn’t done a very good job of maintaining the… Read More
Was it a good representational collection or not?… Read More
Was it go build us a bird collection or maintain it or do what you want to do?… Read More
Yes, very much so I was a new face and yeah, in fact, the camaraderie within the institutions that I was, was always very good there. I can’t recall… Oh, there were conflicts once in a while but you have people working together, there’s going to be conflicts but basically… Read More
What was your charge from the director who hired you?… Read More
They welcomed you with open arms?… Read More