Curtis Branscome introduced our speaker Dennis W. Kelly who assumed his position as President and Chief Executive Officer of The Atlanta Zoo in June, 2003. After graduating from Georgia Tech, and serving in the military, he began his professional career with positions at Procter and Gamble and Touche and Ross. He joined the Coca-Cola Company in 1982, and then in 1999, Dennis joined The Green Mountain Energy Company. His experiences at these two companies provided him great preparation for the challenges and opportunities facing Zoo Atlanta. Dennis is also a member of the Downtown Rotary club. He wanted to tell our club how the zoo got to where it is today and where the zoo is going. It basically began back in 1889 when a defunct circus left all of the animals. By 1950 it was known as one of the best zoos in America. In 1959 Zoo Atlanta came into possession of our beloved Willie B as a 2 year old. Into the 1960's the zoo was deteriorating, and there was the big talk of a baseball team coming to town. By the early 1980's Zoo Atlanta was known as one of the worst zoos in the country. Ford Motor Company became a large contributor and for the first time in Willie B's life he lived in a facility where he could stand on natural grass and actually have sunlight. Problem was that Willie B. would not reproduce in captivity. Today there is a long line of Willie B. offspring.

There are still many challenges facing Zoo Atlanta; deferred maintenance, to few mammals and birds, suboptimal configuration, low metro penetration, inadequate parking, and an inadequate endowment. Dennis states that the demand for a world class zoo is high and increasing in Atlanta. An architect from New Orleans has been retained to help re-build the zoo over the next 15-20 years. The zoo's collection will grow and the attendance should reach 1,000,000 annually. Zoo Atlanta has changed as our community has changed. The focus is now on 1) conservation and research 2) education and 3) families - the interaction with people and animals.

Dennis thanked everyone that was already a member and asked those who were not members to please consider joining. He was most excited about impending new arrivals in the form of a baby panda, baby lion, and a baby elephant all in the very near future.

A book was presented to The Dekalb Public Library in honor of Dennis Kelly speaking to our club - America's Best Zoos, Travel Guide for Fans and Families.

Reported by Scotty Candler