I mentioned earlier, I disagreed with Dr. Thomas about keeping apes behind water barriers behind using that as a barrier to keep them in. And so we made that a priority. We converted a sea line exhibit into a gorilla exhibit, which was one of the first things we had… Read More
And on two different occasions, we had keepers forget to turn the water off. They would clean the pool. They would turn the water on. It’d be late in the day and they’d leave the water running. It’d be dark. No one would realize it. The water level would realize… Read More
When you came in as director, did you have top items that you wanted to address or enhance that you were had been thinking about or saw that needed to be addressed within the organization or procedures or items like that?… Read More
I mean, it’s a very narrow scope of the overall zoo management. You have to get into then behavior into nutrition, which is also part of veterinary medicine. But you have to be aware of the fundraising of the political workings, HR, human resources, working with people, working with boards,… Read More
And the fact that you can talk with them on a professional level helps build your credibility as an animal person with maybe the people. And it may have nothing to do with fundraising per se, but in the long run, it helps you develop a rapport. Read More
How do the various systems in an animal work, what disease processes do you have to be aware of?… Read More
Now you talked about earlier that you, you thought you wanted to be a director, ultimately, when you did become director, how did that veterinary training prove useful to you as a director?… Read More
Well, the veterinary training is very, very technical, nuts and bolts. Read More
So I was over there when Gladys Porter passed. So it was quite a shock and to come back and then two years later to have this foundation split and then two years after that to start to become talking in the endowment. So yeah, we switched from heavily being… Read More
How did that affect you and your responsibilities as director?… Read More
It took a lot of time and it took time away from what I thought I should be doing. In 1979 and ’80, I was president of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which we now call the AZA. I was also president of our local rotary club that year. Read More
How did that affect?… Read More
Big time the endowment became a priority?… Read More
And they have helped us with two different challenge grants where they will make available money. And we’ve had subsequent endowment drives to get up from the original 6 million to the point where, as I say, we’ve raised actually 15 million with their support. This appropriate maybe at this… Read More
We’ve taken the majority of the income every year and given it to the zoo for operating to the point, we’ve given about 15 million to the zoo through the years for operating. And the endowment is still worth about 12 1/2 million. I serve as the secretary for the… Read More
Larry Litner Jr. lived in Corpus Chris, or lived in Houston in Dallas and Earl Sams Layner lived in Corpus and subsequently he moved to Wyoming. So they had different interests and wanted to fund their projects. Gladys’s daughter, Dody, decided that they were gonna support the zoo come whatever. Read More
Every time there’d be a new president, every six years, they’d go through a Paso devaluation. And they were doing that at the time. And that impacted businesses along the border. But the board mainly the executive committee decided that we really need to accept their challenge grant. So they… Read More
But this was at, in the beginning, that was about maybe 10% of the budget of the zoo. And the Sams Foundation said, make what you can on the gate, which made up another like 50%. And then the Sams Foundation, as long as they would approve the annual budget… Read More
Was she still interested in helping support during the time you’re there?… Read More
The Sam’s Foundation or through her is still funding the zoo. Their original commitment was the City of Brownsville would supply a certain dollar amount per year. It started at 100,000, it ended up, I think now it’s about close to 475,000, but they would supply a very low level… Read More