Lee Glassco was interviewed by Jen Page on July 6, 1996. Glassco was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1931. She was graduated from the veterinary technology program at Northern Virginia Community College in 1983 and is now a retired veterinary technician. She has been a volunteer at the Zoo for 22 years. From 1974 until 1983, Glassco was a guide, first doing general tours, then working as a house guide in the elephant and giraffe house. Later, Glassco participated in the animal and behavioral studies. Beginning in 1994, Glassco began working with a new Zoo volunteer program called Zoo on Wheels. This interview discusses how Glassco started volunteering; her decision to go back to school; how her participation in Zoo volunteer work changed over the years; her work with the Zoo on Wheels program; her first impressions of the Zoo; how her opinions of all zoos have changed; her first day of work; the most challenging part of her job as a guide; stories about working at the Zoo; changes at the Zoo, both in its appearance and in the collections; what working at the Smithsonian means to her; her experiences with Zoo on Wheels; and her memories and impressions of the Festival of American Folklife.

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