July 2014 The PlatyPress is a newsletter for members of the Platypus Circle. The Platypus Circle is composed of individuals, corporations and foundations who share our passion for supporting the Milwaukee County Zoo, conserving endangered animal species, and teaching the importance of preserving wildlife and its natural environment. Photo by Richard Brodzeller
newspapers, books and on TV. Winter’s second book, a 128-page, 211-photo pictorial history of our Zoo, debuts July 28. For this book she is a co-author with two other Zoo Pride volunteers: Zoo historian Elizabeth (Bess) Frank, a retired curator of large mammals, and Zoo librarian Mary Kazmierczak. Samson, perhaps the most popular animal in our Zoo’s history, was supposed to be a panda. “Pabst Brewing donated $10,000 in the early 1940s to import giant pandas from China. That was during World War II, but the Chinese border closed before we could get the pandas,” says Winter. “So the Zoological Society decided to purchase gorillas.” That effort took years. In 1950 two baby gorillas (Samson and Sambo) flew to Milwaukee on a commercial airline, covered in blankets so no one knew they were there. Samson long outlived Sambo and was a Zoo celebrity for 31 years.
Darlene Winter walks at the Zoo.
Platypus Member Profile:
She Writes Books on the Zoo arlene Winter loves celebrities: Samson the gorilla, Sultana the polar bear, Countess Heine the elephant. Now she’s making them more famous by writing books about them. And the Milwaukee County Zoo is the beneficiary. Winter is no stranger to donating her effort and time to the Zoological Society of Milwaukee (ZSM). Not only is she a donor in the ZSM’s Platypus Circle, but she also is a 14-year member of Zoo Pride, the ZSM’s volunteer auxiliary. Two years ago Winter came out with the 54-page book “I Remember Samson” (Mirror Publishing 2012), which she wrote with the help of Samson’s longtime keeper, now retired, Sam LaMalfa. Samson, believed to be the largest gorilla in captivity, was celebrated in
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Arcadia Publishing, which specializes in pictorial-history books and has published several zoo books, contacted Winter about doing a book on our Zoo. “I knew I could not do it alone,” she says. Zoo Director Chuck Wikenhauser wrote the foreword. Bess Frank wrote the introduction from her research on the history of the Zoo. Mary Kazmierczak helped edit and scanned the photos (she also helped with photos for “Samson”). Even though she was familiar with some Zoo history, Kazmierczak, whose German grandfather helped design Milwaukee’s infrastructure, was fascinated to discover that “the founding of the Zoo was very much the impetus of the German-American community.” Milwaukee’s German immigrants wanted open-air parks like ones in Germany, and community groups, along with German beer barons, helped develop the Zoo. In fact, the Zoo began with eight deer donated by Col. Gustave Pabst, son of Milwaukee brewer Frederick Pabst. Countess Heine, the Zoo’s first elephant, arrived via train to great fanfare in 1907. She was donated by German immigrant Henry (Heine) Bulder, a community leader who raised funds for her purchase. He was called the “father of the zoo” and helped found the Zoological Society, with Otto L. Kuehn, in 1910. In the Zoo’s first group of polar bears was Sultana, who gave birth to the first polar bear cub in captivity in North America. He was named Zero because it was 10 below zero when he was born on Dec. 2, 1919. Sultana was a Zoo celebrity for 35 years, outdistancing Samson, who died of a heart attack. Winter, who had a heart attack herself in 2005, is donating profits from the “Samson” book to the Zoo’s ape research project on heart disease. Profits from the “Milwaukee County Zoo” Continued on page 2
Platypus Member Profile: Author is Platypus Circle Member Continued from page 1
book will help fund equipment for the Zoo library and archive. The Zoo and ZSM are worth supporting, says Winter, who walks an hour every morning at the Zoo (weather permitting). Winter, a retiree, has volunteered more than 2,070 hours in Zoo Pride, serving on the primate committee, as a summer guide, and as chair of the Halloween events committee, among other activities. She designated the ZSM as a beneficiary in her estate plans, and thus became a member of our Simba Circle. She also became a Platypus Circle donor (whose benefits include year-round Zoo admission and Platypus events) at the starting level of $500. Winter finds that affordable because she can spread payments out monthly, and 125 of her annual Zoo Pride volunteer hours give her a discount of up to $85. “I felt that the Platypus Circle was something I could do for the Zoo.” Being a Platypus Circle donor increases her support of a place that she loves. “When you’re at the Zoo,” she says, “it feels like you’re away from everything. You don’t feel like you’re in the city. It’s neat in the morning when I’m walking. The peacocks are yelling. Then a zebra starts calling, and I can hear him all across the Zoo. You feel like you’re in Africa.”
Photo by Rick Heinlein
As a Zoo Pride volunteer, Darle
ne Winter paints bunny whis
By Paula Brookmire
kers on a girl during an Easte
rtime event at the Zoo.
PlatyPress PlatyPress is published twice a year by the Zoological Society of Milwaukee (ZSM), 10005 W. Bluemound Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53226-4383. (414) 258-2333 zoosociety.org
New Platypus Circle Members The following became new members between December 2013 and mid-June 2014
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Dave Strelitz (Committee Chair) Thom Brown Dr. Robert Davis Mary Ellen Enea Karen Peck Katz Maria Gonzalez Knavel Jack McKeithan Deborah Musante Thelma Sias Ryan Schultz Tricia Shinners Judy Holz Stathas Jane Bush Wierzba DEVELOPMENT STAFF Penny Gutekunst, Vice President of Development Kim Peterson, Senior Development Officer Georgia Young, Development Assistant Averia Steinman, Grant Administrator
Aegis Corporation Jeff Airoldi & Laura Horn-Airoldi AG Architecture, Inc. Badger Mutual Insurance Co. Brookfield Rehabilitation & Specialty Care Center Nathan Bublitz & Amanda Losinski Richard Carpenter Nate & Mary Cunniff Custom Equipment DCI-Artform Dianne Dziengal Catherine Erdmann Jeffrey & Mary Fertl Patricia Gormley Jason Graham Gregory & Sandy Groth Grumman/Butkus Associates GSF Mortgage Corporation Katrina & Nezih Hasanoglu Healics, Inc.
NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTORS Paula Brookmire, editor Zak Mazur, writer Richard Brodzeller and Richard Taylor, photographers
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H.O.O.P.S. 4 Kidz Hupy and Abraham SC Independent General Agencies Key Technical Solutions, Inc. Richard & Penny Krejci Priscilla & Kenneth Kuehn Don Layden Timothy & Karen Lee Jeff Likosar Joseph Mallinger Rebecca & Matthew Marsh Lori & Tim Murphy Gary Nevermann Steven Olguin Palermo’s® Pizza Paychex Real Time Automation Nicholas & Marge Rivecca Mark Schounard Server Products VMP
VIP Premiere of Sting Rays & Sharks Being the first zoogoers to touch sting rays and sharks was a special perk for guests at the May 22 VIP Premiere of the Milwaukee County Zoo’s special summer exhibit, Sting Ray & Shark Bay, sponsored by Sendik’s Food Markets. Among the special guests were two of Sendik’s owners, Ted Balistreri and Margaret Harris with their children. In the photo at right, Theo Balistreri and his sister, Josie, cut the ribbon to open the exhibit. From left in the photo are Zoo Director Chuck Wikenhauser, ZSM Board President Gina Peter, Ted Balistreri’s two children, Margaret Harris (Ted’s sister), Nicole Harris (Margaret’s daughter) and Dr. Robert Davis, president and CEO of the Zoological Society of Milwaukee (ZSM). At the pool inside the Otto Borchert Family Special Exhibits Building, children were captivated as they reached into the water to pet and feed the slippery southern and cownose sting rays. Some children were brave enough to touch a wiggling horseshoe crab while guided by a staff member. White-spotted bamboo sharks effortlessly swerved between hands and slipped into pipes serving as caves. The more than 480 guests included members of the Platypus Circle, Simba Circle and Serengeti Circle as well as Milwaukee County officials. The exhibit opened to the public May 24 and runs through Sept. 1. Southern sting ray. Photo by Richard Brodzeller
Ethan Thomas (left), 9, of Milwaukee, touches a horseshoe crab held by Megan Kreuter, supervisor of the sting-ray-and-shark exhibit. She works for Living Exhibits, which runs the exhibit.
d-shark iere of the sting-ray-an his family to the prem Susan watches ing/Storage, brought s); and Sierra, 11. Mom of Ace World Wide Mov arm ter), ’s Dad (cen (in ner 3 Stei re, n Jaso 6; Jack, 9; Clai ber. Steiner children: Austin, a Platypus Circle mem exhibit. From left are the live in Delafield. Ace is the rays. The Steiners
PlatyPress July 2014 Page 3
Paula and Da vid Strelitz, of Ne w Berlin, reach into the water to touch sting rays. David Strelitz is on the Zoological Society Board .
Parker Doering (left), 12, and his brother Landon, 5, of Oak Creek, learn about a horseshoe crab from Megan Kreuter. Also fascinated is Kathy White, of Caledonia, a representative of Tri City National Bank, which is a Platypus Circle member.
Dr. Bert Davis (left), Mar garet Harris, and Ted Bali streri at the premiere of the sting-ra y-and-shark exhibit.
Photos by Richard Taylor PlatyPress July 2014 Page 4
Where Your Platypus Circle Dollars Go:
Internship Builds Confidence Photo by McKenzi Swinehart
“I’m sorry.” It was a phrase that Samantha Martinson, 24, said too often. She says it reflected her lack of self-confidence. “I never felt good enough.” But after three years of participating in a summer internship run by the Zoological Society of Milwaukee’s (ZSM’s) Conservation Education Department, Martinson says she’s gained self-esteem. “One of the things I liked so much about the program was the focus on self-reflection,” she says. “It was an incredible growth experience every day, and I felt like I was becoming a better person.” James Mills, director of Conservation Education, says the internship benefits both interns and the ZSM. “It provides us with critical personnel resources. Interns work as teaching assistants and help us operate one of the largest zoo-based summer camp programs in the nation.” Each summer 20 interns are selected from a pool of about 180-200 college-age applicants. Since the program’s inception in 1987, about 400 interns have participated. About 30 of those interns were later hired as part-time or full-time ZSM staff members. Were it not funded in part by Platypus Circle members, says Mills, the program wouldn’t exist and we wouldn’t be able to educate thousands of children each summer. An English and secondary education graduate of Marquette University, Martinson, who is originally from Belvidere, Ill., applied for the internship in summer 2010. “Training lasts about two weeks. Every day is broken down and every hour is planned to the last minute.” The internship itself runs Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and also has biweekly Samantha Martinson homework assignments. “We kept reflection logs. Assignments included topics such as how you resolved a conflict with a coworker, how you used a disciplinary strategy with a child, and how you attain your personal and professional goals.” Not only did Martinson gain more self-esteem, but she also learned when to ask for help and when to “push through something” on her own. During her tenure as an intern, she worked in a camp called Actin’ Wild. She helped children write a play, create costumes, memorize their lines and then perform the play – all in one week. “That experience dovetailed perfectly with what I do now,” she says. Martinson currently works as a teaching artist with Milwaukee-area theater groups, a job that requires self-confidence and a background in education – two things she focused on during her ZSM internship. She’s worked with the Hartford Stage Theater Company, First Stage Theater, and Milwaukee Youth Theatre. She has experience working with grades K through 12 and adults. Photo by Richard Brodzeller Martinson – who is extremely articulate – says the ZSM internship is so impressive that words can’t describe it. “I can say I know how hard it is to run a nonprofit organization like the Zoological Society from a financial standpoint. It would be devastating if this program was ever cut.” By Zak Mazur
Samantha Martinson leads youngsters on a tour during a 2010 summer camp at the Zoo.
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Animal News
Photo by Richard Brodzeller
My, What Big Eyes You Have Imagine walking down the street and encountering a person with orange-brown eyes the size of soccer balls? Doesn’t sound very cute, does it? However, were you to reduce this creature to about 7 to 8 inches long and then cover it in a coat of light-gray fur, you would have the cuteness that most humans identify with babies. This is what the Milwaukee County Zoo’s newest Moholi bush baby looks like. Born last April 16, this big-eyed baby bush baby is now full size but weighs less than 10 ounces. It’s just adorable. In addition to their large, forward-facing eyes, bush babies have the largest ears of any primate in proportion to their body size. These tiny mammals are found in the forests of sub-Saharan Africa. Arboreal creatures, they are agile, fast jumpers. “Bush The Zoo’s newest bush baby . babies remind me of rubbery bouncing balls when they leap around their exhibit,” says Rhonda Crenshaw, area supervisor of the Zoo’s Small Mammals Building. Bush babies are nocturnal. Their keen sight and hearing help them locate prey such as beetles, scorpions, small reptiles, and moths. At the Zoo they eat prepared primate diet, veggies, fruit and bugs. “They love wax worms, meal worms and crickets,” says Crenshaw. The young bush baby has been thriving, thanks in large part to J.J., its mother. “When the baby used to fall, J.J. would quickly retrieve it,” says Crenshaw. “When the baby walked on branches, J.J. followed it closely.” Dad Neville, however, wasn’t as doting and let J.J. do all the work. You can find the family in the nocturnal side of the Small Mammals Building to the left of the springhaas exhibit. By Zak Mazur
Event Calendar
Planned Giving - Simba Circle The Simba Circle recognizes the generous people who have named the Zoological Society of Milwaukee County (ZSM) in their will or other estate plans. By making this commitment, you create a legacy ensuring that the ZSM continues carrying out its mission of supporting the Milwaukee County Zoo, educating the public and conserving wildlife for future generations. Please visit our planned giving website to learn about the many options available to you at: zoosociety.org/simba. Simba Circle members enjoy: • Invitations to the Annual Simba Circle Recognition Dinner and VIP Premiere • Recognition on Zoo signage and in Society publications • Peace of mind, knowing that the ZSM and Zoo will continue to enrich future generations Already have a planned gift benefiting the ZSM? Please let us know. We would value an opportunity to personally thank you. You can choose to remain anonymous. You can also designate your gift to a specific area or program at the Zoo! For more information on planned giving or to schedule a confidential appointment, please call Kim Peterson at (414) 258-2333, ext.310, or e-mail simba@zoosociety.org.
Sept. 14 Ride on the Wild Side Bike Ride, sponsored by Wheaton Franciscan - Midwest Spine & Orthopedic Hospital/Wisconsin Heart Hospital and St. Joseph campuses. Zoological Society of Milwaukee fundraiser.*+
Sept. 23 Platypus Circle Annual Recognition Dinner. Invitations will be mailed.+
Oct. 21 Simba Circle Annual Dinner. Invitations will be mailed.+
Oct. 23 Zoo Brew, Zoological Society beer-tasting fundraiser; evening event.*+ *For more information, call (414) 258-2333 or go online at zoosociety.org. +Please pre-register.
On the Web For back issues of PlatyPress dating to September 2006, go to zoosociety.org/pubs/platypress.
PlatyPress July 2014
printed on recycled paper
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