Well, I think that the purpose at one level was that city kids had no idea where milk came, where eggs come from, and they had no idea about the rural type of farm environment that would as part of their lives, you know, “Where does milk come from?” “The… Read More
Well, I think what Lester Fisher’s vision was, which he started was to try within this small space, wasn’t getting bigger, to try and make better living conditions for the zoo. Read More
And what does that mean?… Read More
Well, it means to expand the spaces of the animals. So there was a lot of building going on, redoing the seal pool, sea lion pool, redoing the center of the zoo, making exhibits for the cats on the north side of the Lion House, which had never had outside… Read More
So they were more a development arm of the zoo?… Read More
At the time, they were. As later years went by and ultimately, the zoo privatized, they, at the time, the Zoo Society was paying half of the operating costs of the zoo. So it wasn’t just friends of the zoo, they were partners. And ultimately, they took over the governance… Read More
So we had talked about this early on at your career, but a few years later, what was the zoo and the exhibits like at that time?… Read More
Is there any significant changes?… Read More
(interviewer laughs) What was the governance of the zoo at the time?… Read More
Well, the zoo was a Park District, division of the Park District, was part of the Park District. So Lester Fisher as director of the zoo answered to the director of special services. So the zoo was under the harbors, the golf courses, the zoo. So Lester Fisher didn’t have… Read More
The Zoo Society started under Marlin Perkins and they were friends of the zoo. They weren’t gigantic and powerful, but they were friends at the zoo. So they were there to help the zoo build, you know, they needed money for the, a new so-and-so exhibit and they were there… Read More
What’s his management style like?… Read More
Les Fisher was a wonderful manager. He was very much hands off. I think he expected you to do a job. He told you to do it and go do it. And he rarely, although he did, micromanage occasionally, but he rarely did. He essentially, which was a wonderful thing. Read More
They were just saying, which is why I got into videotaping and other things because no one told me, “That’s part of your job.” It was, “I wanted to take that on.” And they said, “Fine, go run with it. That’s fine with us.” So they allowed you to expand… Read More
Change another guard. Yeah. Yeah. Read More
They had little plaques and you put them up and stuff. So I made, I had to kill time. It was just a boring job. So I made, I named a lot of the animals after my friends and family and stuff like that. Well done. Well done. So I’d… Read More
Oh absolutely. Absolutely. Read More
And Les Fisher was the director still at this time?… Read More
He was. Read More
I was just heartbroken. Read More