So I had to be very cautious. Cautious is the wrong word. I had a plan as well as possible to get animals that were hardy, the really delicate forms, Rarity wasn’t a critical thing. I wanted to get hardy adaptable animals that would do well. That wouldn’t have a… Read More
I’d go down and fly down and do quick visits to, on my own money, our own money, family money, our salary, to familiarize myself with, essentially a crash course how to run a zoo, build a zoo. Okay, we’re talking about with your own money, you started to get… Read More
So they did great coverage, not only for the Honolulu papers, but for the San Diego Union. And an answer to your question, I think that one sentence is the best answer. The credibility, the integrity, the fact that, essentially, we were filling a need that was favorable. It was… Read More
But in terms of building the zoo, one technique, Mark, the humane society here was a reasonable group compared to many of the animal activists, by here, I mean in Honolulu, of course. They were long established, they were run and wealthy run by, and managed by a pair of… Read More
So I went out with the reporters and on the way out, this is typical, Mark. I told the reporters, “Okay.” They said, “What are you doing here, essentially?” And I said, “Well, I’m meeting this guy from San Diego who’s gonna design the zoo so we’ve got a place… Read More
Did you have any idea of how you’re gonna actually get money now to build what he is giving you?… Read More
Actually, as you well know nothing succeeds like success. And every time there was a favorable announcement, and any time anything happened, we made stories, newspaper stories. I went out on a tug boat, nobody knew this hardly, but there was a special tug that met the passenger liners offshore. Read More
Did you have any idea?… Read More
Now tell me about… He’s there, he’s helping you out. Read More
And then I went to another guy that was a developer and later bought huge area, he actually bought the Ilikai Hotel, they built it. That’s a hotel that in Hawaii Five-O, Steve McGarrett, that’s his hotel. But anyhow, so that friend was building a resort on a walk. So… Read More
Yeah. To come back into Honolulu to build your master planner development so forth. Read More
I will, Mark. That was ’47. The mayor died a few years later. That was his last term in office. According to his biographer, he had 37 cents in his pocket. He was always giving, both of himself and of his money. His widow, he never had any children, his… Read More
She was essentially being evicted. So The mayor’s friends after he died called me and said, “Paul, you know Aunt Jenny’s got those 30-something peacocks out there. Will you buy them for the zoo?” And I said to the mayor’s friend, Arthur, I said, “Arthur, I’d like to, but I… Read More
I called Mrs. Benchley and said, “Tell Ralph to buy his tickets and get on the first ship.” Now, can I jump ahead for a bit?… Read More
How do we speed things up to get the okay on the funding?” And looking back on it, of course, the funding was a very small amount, but a very crucial timing small amount. So this is an example of Ed Lyon’s skill as an administrator. Here, I am a… Read More
Things don’t happen that way very often nowadays. So I met with the mayor. So I had enough sense to ask him a few, He naturally asked, “Well, what are you up to and what do you want, young man?” And I was very short. And I said, “We have… Read More
So finally, the money was delayed and delayed, and delayed, and so I said to Ed Lyons, “Mr. Lyons, we’re using up our two months is all we’ve got and let’s, what can we do?… Read More
Since it’s unbudgeted in our park department budget, we’ll have to get separate funds through the mayor’s office.” And the mayor at that time was an old Hawaiian guy. And he was old more than just because I was only 24. He was in, I’d say 60-something. And he had… Read More
So we basically would have him, and he had to get back before, early in the year. So, Mark, it dragged on, and every day, I didn’t mind at all. I went out every morning, twice a day, to feed and water the elephants and the chimpanzees, and worry about… Read More
There are the animals. There are these complicated livestock five miles out of town on a dairy. And the dairy says, “Now that we’ve given them to you, please get them off our premises.” At that time, my wife was pregnant with our first child. Well, I, of course, telephoned… Read More