When I was a kid “must see” TV was Zoo Parade, later Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, with Marlin Perkins and his sidekick Jim Fowler. When Perkins died in 1986, Fowler became the lone host. Such a show. So many great and unusual animals and much to learn. For someone like me, watching TV was as close as I would ever get to elephants and lions and such.
When I was in elementary school the kids donated money to buy the Atlanta Zoo an elephant. Named her Penny because that’s what most of us contributed. Fast forward 1980 and I left the AP in Seattle to be a columnist on the Atlanta Constitution, the paper I grew up with, a powerhouse of journalism where my heroes worked. One of my first trips back was to the zoo to see Penny. It was heartbreaking. The cages were so cramped.
I knew asking the city to fix it was a waste. So my first campaign was to close the zoo and send the animals to open parks, like in North Carolina. A movement started, Gained speed. They invited me to all the events. One night I found myself on a sofa sitting next to Jim Fowler, who, it turned out, is a fellow Georgia guy, having been born in Albany. We sat there all night and talked about Perkins and the show and the animals. He gave me his phone number. We kept in touch.
A non-profit organization was formed and Atlanta transferred the zoo to it. They hired professionals. It is now one of the best in country.
Fowler would go on the Tonight Show and Johnny Carson would pretend to be scared. Fun. When Carson retired he and Fowler and their families traveled to Africa together. Fowler did other TV shows. He was an ambassador for conservation.
Jim Fowler died this week. He was 89. He always will be a young guy to me, wearing those safari shirts. Taking on the boa constructers. Reminding us elephants are big but really fast and quiet.
I am feeling down. It’s especially hard when your heroes die.
He and Perkins instilled in me a love of nature and all God’s creatures, big and small. Thanks to fate, I got a little closer to nature’s wonders in Africa than the TV.
So here’s to you, Jim Fowler, fellow Georgian and inspiration for some of my life’s greatest adventures. Thanks for that and helping my town develop a great zoo. Next time I’m in Africa I will wear a safari shirt and think of you.
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