Friday, October 19, 2007
Editorial: Farewell to the 'zoo dude'
Sean Greene revitalized the aging Mill Mountain Zoo. His gains should not be forgotten.
From the RoundTable blog
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Sean Greene came to the Mill Mountain Zoo at a critical time in the mountaintop attraction's 55-year history.
The zoo was struggling to earn national accreditation. Finances were unstable. Aging exhibits were crying for an upgrade.
Greene got to work. Zoo facilities received a sprucing up, with help and donations from area businesses and volunteers.
He brought in celebrity wildlife expert Jack Hanna for a successful zoo fundraiser. He shepherded the zoo to a passing grade on an Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation review.
In doing so, Greene not only scored financially, he scored with the community.
Was it enough to crown him king of zoo makeovers? Prince, perhaps. Anyone who can turn a Japanese macaque named Oops on the lam into a lovable fundraiser feature clearly is blessed with turnaround talents.
Alas, Greene is leaving. He announced this week that he is taking a job as director of community relations for the Dallas Zoological Society, a support organization for the Dallas Zoo.
Pardon the cliche, but their gain is our loss.
Greene was the new face of the little zoo that could, a distinction he earned quickly and intentionally. He appeared on The Timescast, The Roanoke Times' daily webcast, at least a half-dozen times, eager to share the zoo's furry, scaly and feathered creatures with viewers.
Greene embraced the zoo's community importance, telling a Roanoke Times staff writer last year the zoo "is like an old piece of nice jewelry. It just needs to be polished up and let that true beauty shine."
Greene did much to restore some of the zoo's lost luster. Its board should seek an energetic successor who can build on Greene's success.
That facility up on Mill Mountain deserves continued attention, the kind Greene devoted to it.
