David Kessler was interviewed by Shenandoah Gale on June 30, 1996. Kessler was born in 1953 in New Jersey and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in New York in December 1974 with a degree in biology. He came to Washington, DC, in 1975 and began volunteering at the Zoo. He became a permanent employee in 1977 and is now a keeper at the National Zoo. This interview discusses what Kessler's job entails, his research in the breeding of animals, his work as a mentor for high school students, his work with naked mole rats, how he came to work at the Zoo, a typical day of work, the various animals he has worked with, the Zoo's position as part of the Smithsonian, memories of the Festival of American Folklife, history of the Zoo and its buildings, what working at the Smithsonian means to him, andan anecdote about working at the Zoo.

Object Details

See more items in: Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews; Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews / Interviews

Collection Citation: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 9594, Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews