We had signs, you know how signs were at the zoo world at first. We had the little animal and the little kid. Then all of a sudden we start writing signs as big as that dadgum thing over there. You know, oh I shouldn’t say this. We have the… Read More
He told him to repaint the barn. And Lloyd went up there and almost started crying. I’ll never forget as long as I ever live. Read More
You talk about education?… Read More
He literally didn’t wanna tell me, ’cause I went up there. I said, “Lloyd, here’s the paint, right in this can.” He goes, “I’m sorry, Jack, you don’t know this. “I never told your dad ’cause he’ll fire me. “I can’t read.” I said, “What? you can’t read?” And at… Read More
A guy would be on a farm, never knew he couldn’t read or write. He could write, but he didn’t, actually nobody ever saw him write. But he couldn’t read. So he started painting a barn. It was yellow, and not the red color my dad wanted. And he had… Read More
Like, “What is that, Lloyd, for God’s sakes?… Read More
You kidding me?… Read More
What education was to the man that worked on our farm and helped us on our farm, Lloyd Hinkel, who’s now been dead for 25 years. I never forget, as long as I live. My dad said, “Lloyd, go up there and paint the barn. “The paint’s up there on… Read More
Can you imagine that?… Read More
I gotta have an assistant. I have some teachers. Then he got the teacher, then he got the classes. Then we got the high school, have several high school class here now. We have campers from age three-years-old, like a lot of zoos, ours really takes it to the level… Read More
Is that when you saw the value of education?… Read More
Oh yeah. No, no,I always saw the value of education. I always knew just from being raised in Tennessee. Read More
Were you, were you directing him in direction for education, Or just saying, go do it?… Read More
And mainly told him to go do it. He went downtown, did shows at little schools. And I, he said, “Jack, go out to school.” I started going out, I was already going to schools. I went to more schools, did all my little slide shows. Then we started a… Read More
That’s when Jeff Swanagan, who we all know lost his life, who built the Atlanta Aquarium, period. Who went down and turned the Tampa Aquarium, that was going bankrupt, he saved that one. He went to the zoo in Atlanta when Terri Maple called me, he said, “Jack, I’m going… Read More
He was like my son, by the way. Read More
You know something, you kidding me?… Read More
I don’t even know. I didn’t do it for Jack Hanna. I did because I couldn’t get anybody up here. So that’s kind of how I was treated, but you know something, I just kept on going. I kept on going to the conferences. I met my friends and then,… Read More
Did you have a feel, what did you want to do and who, with education?… Read More
“You just got here for God’s sakes. “I know more about the wilds. “Why’d you do the paper?” “I’m sorry, Mr. Maruska, I didn’t do the paper. “They told me to do the paper. “I didn’t wanna to do the paper either. “I didn’t know anything about the wilds, “I… Read More