ZOO FLASHBACK

I've always remarked that the best job I ever had was when I worked at the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak between  the ages of 16 to 19 years old.  There were over 200 public service employees and most of them were in that same age range.  We often went to Palmer Park after work and picnic-ed. Amazingly, there wasn't a lot of drinking and everyone was pretty civil. We even "policed the area" before ending the evening's festivities.  Often someone would bring a guitar (and the occasional accordian). There was a great comeraderie that has been hard to match in any job since.  An old neighbor and co-worker at the zoo, Marie Aliotta, came across this 1967 lunch-break photo and sent it to me recently.  It's fun to reminisce.  I'm the guy in the background, with the funny hat.