Very, very little, the politics of the city has hardly any effect, few years back, of course, we’re on Park District land. And a few years back, there was a little rumble about, well, you know, you’re on Park District land. You ought to be doing such and such. But… Read More
Did you have to deal with the mayor when you were director?… Read More
It tracked almost exactly. Now the aquarium leads the museum in attendance and Art Institute and Museum of Science and Industry, Brookfield Zoo, Lincoln Park. Well, of course, Lincoln Park doesn’t keep track of their attendance. So they just walked through to the beach, so that’s somebody visiting the zoo. Read More
The Shedd sits on Park District land?… Read More
Shedd’s on Park District land, yes. Read More
They didn’t have the money, they couldn’t get the improvements. So it just sat there and vegetated. And I think the board at that time was a weakness because really, the members of the board were not really interested in seeing the aquarium go anywhere. So I don’t think it… Read More
What are its strengths now?… Read More
I think it has probably, and I guess maybe I’m maybe bragging a little bit. I think it is the outstanding aquarium, if not in the United States, in the world. I think it has brought a tremendous improvement, not only to the institution but to the City of Chicago. Read More
What were the strengths and weaknesses of the aquarium when you took over and when you left?… Read More
Strengthen and weaknesses?… Read More
Quite frankly, when I joined, I don’t think that the aquarium had strengths. I don’t think people looked at the aquarium as being a viable institution. It was just sitting there. And part of it was not the aquarium’s fault. It was a group of things that happened all at… Read More
(laughs) Day by day, I think the biggest problem, the head of any institution has is personnel. There is just no end of little nit-picky things that go on in your, that’s how I lost my hair, I was worried about that sort of thing. You get so frustrated dealing… Read More
I said, no, you can’t do that. You’d have everybody in the aquarium in there. So, I think that’s my biggest headache was… And then the next biggest headache, which didn’t last as long, was the animal activists. I mean, that really was a big, big pain for me, but… Read More
And that was a big headache. Fundraising, I think, was a big headache. Originally getting your board to accept the fact that if you want to improve and continue to be first-class as an institution, you’ve got to go out and raise funds. You just can’t sit there and vegetate… Read More
You’ve got the tropical dolphins. So we hammered it out, and we made that gentleman’s agreement if you will about it. But there’s no reason that there should be any animosity between the institutions. I mean, I don’t think there is between Lincoln Park Zoo and Brookfield Zoo. You have… Read More
Did you compete for funds from individuals?… Read More
No, you know that’s funny thing, and I’ve thought about that for years, that Lincoln Park has its cadre of supporters. Brookfield Zoo has its cadre of supporters, and Shedd Aquarium has theirs, and I saw very little left, any overlap. Any time there was a ball or a fundraising… Read More
As director, what were the frustrating times?… Read More
What was your relationship?… Read More
Well, I think we had a good relationship with both institutions. There were a couple of maybe a little touchy things that we solved. Brookfield Zoo had put in here’s back their dolphin exhibit, Seven Seas Panorama, and that was torn down and the new dolphin thing. And when we… Read More