Description

Milton Wegeforth was the son of Harry "Doctor 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. 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. Names mentioned during the interview include: Charles Schroeder, James Haugh, Searles Sullivan, Martin Bowman, Paul Wegeforth, Rachael Granger, Frank Buck, Belle Benchley, Howard Chernoff, Lester "Les" Olmstead, and Conrad Wegeforth.