Interview 12083 – Caption Index: 90
Are they, you kind have to learn it yourself?… Read More
Are they, you kind have to learn it yourself?… Read More
I mean, what was it?… Read More
I think your position, you have to learn it yourself for the most part. Or you have people who will mentor you and will teach you things. And sometimes they’re big things, and sometimes they’re little things. For example, we had a large crate we had to move. I mean,… Read More
It’s like your initiation as a young guy, especially as a college guy. No, no. I think it was in a way an initiation. Read More
So I see this as perhaps a transition period where you do have this group of older keepers and then younger keepers, I guess, like you said, you’ve touched on some of this, but how did they work together?… Read More
What were some of the problems?… Read More
It was wonderful, wonderful experience getting around the place, learning what was going on. I’m curious when you said it was interesting working at the Great Ape House. Well, because the great apes were very intelligent. And at the time, the great apes, like the gorillas and stuff, there was… Read More
So you had to really know where you were standing. And at that time, the older keepers would sometimes want to pleasantly beat up or set up the younger keepers. And here I was a brand new keeper, and Sinbad, the gorilla was the big guy in the building. So… Read More
And as I’m walking there and all of a sudden, I see him on a top shelf with his hand cupped and I go, and I knew what was gonna happen. And I knew they had set me up, but I can’t go anywhere. I can’t retreat. I gotta keep… Read More
And I ducked as I got through the door, the big steel door and it was like a machine gun and he hit the wall behind me. It was a babababap, and the keepers are laughing. They think it’s so funny. But I think they respected me a little that… Read More
And at the time I took the exam, I think there were like 30 or 33 people, many of them were keepers already, wanting to become civil service ’cause they were TAs that they took the exam with me. I was the college kid who took the exam. And I… Read More
And my name was on top just ’cause I scored high. So Mr. McFetridge who originally had gotten me the job through my cousin, he sees my name and he’s circles my name and he sends it back to my cousin and says, most politicians will, I think it’s great,… Read More
So what were your responsibilities?… Read More
Well, it was different. They farmed me out to everywhere. I worked in the nursery. I was in charge of the nursery or you know, temporarily. I was worked at the bird house. I worked the reptile house. I worked the primate house with the great apes and that was… Read More
(interviewer laughing) Now, when I would go out and I’d talk to friends or something, like I’d take them on a tour. You know, friends would come, I’d say, “Hey, you wanna see the marmosets? I got the keys for that.” That was about it. And I’d go, we’d go… Read More
Can you talk about that?… Read More
Well, the zoo at the time, Lincoln Park had what they called a lot of animal keepers. Some were civil service, but many of them were TAs, temporary appointees. And they liked having temporary appointees ’cause Lincoln Park was somewhat political, Chicago Park District. And they liked having part-time TAs. Read More
I got my shot, but that followed me throughout my whole college career. Whenever I had an issue and I had to go to the health service, they would go, “All right, now you were (blabber) you were bitten by a gorilla.” So it was the unique part of the… Read More
Can you tell me about that?… Read More
Well, I was working toward my master’s degree and so I was going to school at night to get my master’s degree. But I needed to work and they had a part-time position, taking care of the marmoset colony, and Lincoln Park had a large common marmoset colony that at… Read More