In fact, Earl was in the stage where he could, he was beginning to do a master plan for Columbus after that thing that happened in Columbus that made Columbus Zoo what it is today. And that is the birth of the first gorilla in captivity. We’ll talked about that… Read More
So you had, kind of backing, you had great apes, how did that start?… Read More
Or did this allow you to come to him with maybe things you had been thinking about as curator?… Read More
I was allowed to, I had the freedom to come to him and talk with him about how we should develop an exhibit or make a change in the collection. By that time, I had met some of the animal dealers, I had been involved with other zoo curators and… Read More
So, it wasn’t unusual for me to do that, to go to Earl and say, can we do this?… Read More
I was amazed at how well they took to my being promoted right past them, you know?… Read More
And I think mostly they thought of me as one of them anyway. They were very happy for me to be able to progress. And I’m so thankful that they did that and they allowed me to be part of that crew, you might say that we had there at… Read More
Now, did Earl tell you what he expected of you in the sense of how he wanted you to approach the care of the animals?… Read More
Well, I was 23, I guess when I’ve got my first job as a curator and I remained the curator until I was appointed assistant superintendent to Earl Davis. And shortly after that, well, he passed away. Read More
Now, when you started this job as a young man, as a curator, you had already been there, so the staff knew you, were there challenges for you as a young guy, even if they knew you coming in, working with all these people you’ve maybe worked with before, and… Read More
There really wasn’t a problem. Read More
No, I did not. I relished it. I thought this was the greatest thing could happen to me. And as it turned out, it really was. Read More
So how old were you when you became curator?… Read More
Sounds like Earl Davis liked you and was a bit of a mentor. He was not a bit of an mentor, he was the mentor for my life. He knew how to push me beyond what I thought I could do, and he knew I could make it. And in… Read More
Did you find it difficult to handle everything?… Read More
No. Read More
Those roles both at one time?… Read More
And from an animal keeper, how did you rise in the zoo hierarchy?… Read More
What opportunities came about that you were going to be picked for other opportunities?… Read More
Well, at the same time, Korea was happening and I enlisted in the army and I wanted to see how far I could go in the military. I applied for and got the opportunity to go to officer’s candidate school. I also met my sweetheart at the university and all… Read More