I also realize that a weakness, the small size of Lincoln Park was a strength. When I lived in Riverside, that was right next door to the other zoo in town, the Brookfield Zoo. And at that time they didn’t have a full-time doctor either, and so there were times… Read More
And as a result, I benefited by that because over the years, if I needed support at the zoo, even though there were times there were bureaucracy bottlenecks that came up, usually the various support forces would respond whether it’s an electrician, the plumber, the painter, somebody would be there… Read More
But at the zoo was totally different, I had absolutely zero idea of what the work ethic, what the work load would be to accomplish different goals. How long it took a keeper in the Bird House to clean a cage. How long it took the barn people to clean… Read More
About three years before I took over, Marlin had started a Friends of the Zoo organization called the Lincoln Park Zoological Society. And here were a group of people that were committed to help the Chicago Park District, which owned and operated the Lincoln Park Zoo, to raise a few… Read More
When I first came to the zoo, I guess for me, I had to figure out how to handle a large group of people. Administratively, I’d had no professional exposure to any classes or anything about running an organization. My animal hospital was kind of self-contained unit, and I had… Read More
Well, I learned the hard way that working around zoo animals, you had stress factors involved. And my goal was to get in and get out of any situation that you were in, including surgery with the collection. And so there Eric and I’d be scrubbing up together doing an… Read More
In the beginning, what were your top items that you wanted to address or enhanced when you first came in?… Read More
And of course, I was able to fill in, in between. So he had a lot less emergency calls than I ever did in that same spot. And so I continued to be able to indulge and do some medical work. And Eric was able to kind of take care… Read More
Were you the director part-time veterinarian?… Read More
At the time I took over the zoo, Marlin, certainly, had never budgeted anything for the medical department, as I mentioned earlier. Whatever that $75 a month stipend may have been and no hospital and no facility, so I, of course, proceeded logically. I was there and I would look… Read More
I had the understanding that if at any time I wanted to leave, I could. And if they wanted me to leave at anytime they could. So I had kind of, I think a good, in my mind anyway, comfort level that this was something I would try, do the… Read More
You were the director, but you didn’t have a part-time veterinarian. Read More
And I kind of, I guess, reflect back now and see where all the deficiencies and issues maybe were there, but I surely didn’t know them or wasn’t aware of them at the time. The one thing that I guess, again, benefited by more than most people might or could,… Read More
I’m trying to recall how our interaction was during that time with Marlin. I’m sure that he helped me know a little bit about how the Park District operated and how the zoo fitted into the operation, but Marlin was not there much. Marlin was almost a person non-grata or… Read More
But there was no question that there was no strong friendly rapport from that moment on between him and the park commissioners. And I think part of his going to St. Louis was that they in a sense were aware of this history and bought the package, he was going… Read More
During that time that you were with Marlin in this transition, did he give you any other advice?… Read More
And the practice, sat down with the people at the practice and told them that I’d like to kind of take a leave of absence if you will, to try this zoo job. And hopefully if it didn’t work out that I could come back to the practice. So that’s… Read More
“And you’ve got a good practice, “and why would you wanna change?” And I said, “Marlin, same reason you’re in it. “I just think the concept of being full-time with a zoo, “and the zoo collection would be something “that I think I’d like to try to do.” So I… Read More
Mr. McFetridge was a very well-known and well-regarded labor leader in Chicago. He is good friend of mayor Daley’s, and he was not a man that you’d keep waiting if he wanted to see you. So I didn’t know for sure why he wanted to see me, and got down… Read More
I said, “You know, I think I’m gonna apply for that job “that Marlin Perkins had, and just see what happens.” And so I went down and talked to people at the Park District, and said, “I think I’d like to apply for Marlin’s position.” And when I told him… Read More