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- Oral Histories
Interview with Milton Wegeforth, Transcript, 1983
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WEGEFORTHMILTONTRANS
Interview with Milton Wegeforth, Transcript, 1983
1983-07-26
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Interviewer: Colston, Stephen
Milton Wegeforth was the son of Harry Wegeforth, who was the founder and first President of the San Diego Zoo. Harry Wegeforth served as president of the Board of Directors of the Zoological Society of San Diego from its founding until his death in 1941. After that, his son Milton served for 40 years on the Board of Directors of the Zoo after his father's death, per his father's wishes.
In this interview, Wegeforth discusses some of the major issues the Board faced during his 40 years of service, as well as remembrances of his father, Zoo founder Harry Wegeforth.
Topics include: Milton's educational background; memories of issues faced by the Board during his tenure, including raising the admission fee after WWII, building the restaurant and administration building, building speed ramps, planning for the Children's Zoo, and the debate over the Wild Animal Park and whether the Zoo would suffer too much from bleeding funds for it; his father (Harry's) background; when Harry got interested in zoos and animals; some of the individuals supporting Harry's efforts in creating the zoo such as Ellen Scripps and Allan Hancock; public python-feeding events in the 1920s to raise funds (including at Charles Lindbergh's welcome back reception at Balboa Stadium in 1927); Harry's fundraising activities; the Aquarium Committee and their purchase of the ship Star of India; Harry's travels to zoological gardens throughout the world as influences on the San Diego Zoo design; the effects of WWII on zoo collecting; Harry's trading with other zoos; Harry's collecting seeds and plants all over the US to bring to the zoo, and his relationship with Kate Sessions; and stories about escaped animals such as monkeys and seals, and a keeper who was killed by an elephant.
In this interview, Wegeforth discusses some of the major issues the Board faced during his 40 years of service, as well as remembrances of his father, Zoo founder Harry Wegeforth.
Topics include: Milton's educational background; memories of issues faced by the Board during his tenure, including raising the admission fee after WWII, building the restaurant and administration building, building speed ramps, planning for the Children's Zoo, and the debate over the Wild Animal Park and whether the Zoo would suffer too much from bleeding funds for it; his father (Harry's) background; when Harry got interested in zoos and animals; some of the individuals supporting Harry's efforts in creating the zoo such as Ellen Scripps and Allan Hancock; public python-feeding events in the 1920s to raise funds (including at Charles Lindbergh's welcome back reception at Balboa Stadium in 1927); Harry's fundraising activities; the Aquarium Committee and their purchase of the ship Star of India; Harry's travels to zoological gardens throughout the world as influences on the San Diego Zoo design; the effects of WWII on zoo collecting; Harry's trading with other zoos; Harry's collecting seeds and plants all over the US to bring to the zoo, and his relationship with Kate Sessions; and stories about escaped animals such as monkeys and seals, and a keeper who was killed by an elephant.
The interviewer is director of the Center for Regional History at San Diego State University. Wegeforth was interviewed in his San Diego home as part of an oral history project of the Zoological Society of San Diego which is a collaborative effort between the Society and the Center for Regional History.
Harry "Doctor Harry" Wegeforth; Interviews; Oral histories; Milton Wegeforth; San Diego Zoo; Wild Animal Park; San Diego Zoo Safari Park; Cost of admission to the zoo; Charles Schroeder; James Haugh; San Diego Bus Company; Searles Sullivan; Santa Fe Railroad; Martin Bowman; Children's Zoo; Howard Chernoff; Fundraising; Lester "Les" Olmstead; Conrad Wegefarth; Stephen Colston; Paul Wegeforth; Rachael Granger; Granger Building; It Began with a Roar! (book); Ellen Browning Scripps; Scripps Flight Cage; Allan Hancock; Python feedings; Star of India (ship); Aquarium Committee; Marineland of Florida; Maritime Research Society of San Diego; Zoological Society of San Diego; Charles Lindbergh; Zoo moats; Frank Buck; Velero III (ship); Zoo animal collection; Kate Sessions; Zookeepers; Zoo animal escapes; Zoo animals; Bongo (chimpanzee); Zoos trading animals; Belle Benchley; Sick zoo animals; Alligators as zoo animals; Descenting skunks; Sowing seeds; Mbongo; Ngagi; Mountain gorillas; Sun bears
California - San Diego
Copyright © 1990 Zoological Society of San Diego, and San Diego State University Library
- Oral Histories
English
Text
29 pages
Yes
WEGEFORTHMILTON
additional keywords from transcript: Laurence Klauber; Research in zoos
- San Diego State University Library and Information Access, Special Collections and University Archives
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