George Vierheller was the director of the St. Louis Zoo when I was there. And he was there for many, many years, quite a famous zoo director. His own career started in an interesting way. He was a telegraph operator. In the old days, when you had to know Morse… Read More
Did you learn from him?… Read More
How old were you when you were curator at the St. Louis Zoo. Well, early 20s and I came to New York when I was 26 or 27, 27, I think. Read More
And when you were at St. Louis, the director was who?… Read More
And did that graduate to a keeper job?… Read More
Eventually the curator of ornithology, the bird curator left for another position in another zoo, and I was offered the bird curators job and I jumped at it. And that was really when my work as a curator began. And I was at the zoo for a good many years… Read More
Did they actually paid you and how did you get that first paying position?… Read More
I suppose my first position at the St. Louis Zoo was, a paid position, was as a summer keeper. And then I also had a position at the zoo running a refreshment stand, learning the business end of the zoo. Read More
My zoo career started because of my constant visitation and discussions with keepers and eventually the curator and they all encouraged me, and I think that encouragement came about to some extent, because I was willing to work. And so I became a volunteer keeper. And this was before the… Read More
What was your first position?… Read More
You have this great interest, how did the zoo career actually start that?… Read More
As a child, I had a great many very patient pets. They ranged from a baby alligator that somebody gave me to box turtles my mother would pick up on the highway when she was in the process of keeping them from being killed and became a collection in my… Read More
It was an absolutely marvelous place to grow up, there was so much wildlife. Read More
Did you bring snakes home?… Read More
Did you have pets as a child?… Read More
I used to visit the St. Louis Zoo almost weekly. It wasn’t easy, I lived in the suburbs and took three street cars and a bus. Read More
Are there any early stories?… Read More
Well, I suppose I decided that when I was five years old, but I wouldn’t admit it because my mother wanted me to be a doctor. I shouldn’t have put it that way, excuse me. I decided on my career when I was still in grade school, but I certainly… Read More
Were you a visitor to the zoo on a regular basis?… Read More
Oh, all the usual schools. I went to Washington University eventually where my father was a professor. But I would have to admit that the majority of my schooling was at the St. Louis Zoo. I was very fortunate in having some wonderful mentors there. The general curator of the… Read More