R. Marlin Perkins Award: 2001
AZA Honorary Member

Dr. Murray E. Fowler

Amidst cheers and a standing ovation, the 2001 R. Marlin Perkins Award was presented to Dr. Murray E. Fowler on Saturday, 22 September 2001, during the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) conference. The Marlin Perkins Award is AZA's highest individual honor and was to have been given to Dr. Fowler during the closing banquet of the AZA Annual Conference in St. Louis on 11 September. Due to the tragic events on that day, the banquet and awards ceremony were not held.

Instead, the AAZV graciously offered their podium so Dr. Fowler could be honored. The award was presented by Dr. Beth Stevens, Vice President, Disney's Animal Kingdom and Animal Programs, and a member of the AZA Board of Directors. The text of the speech given by Stevens was written by Dr. Bill Foster, Director of the Louisville Zoo and Mary Healy, Director of the Sacramento Zoo. We offer these remarks as a testament to Dr. Fowler's lifelong commitment to the Association and to his profession.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am very honored to have the privilege to present the prestigious Marlin Perkins Award. This award honors the pioneering efforts of Marlin Perkins to bring people a greater understanding of wildlife.

About the R. Marlin Perkins Award

Marlin Perkins was born in Carthage, Missouri in 1905. He was always interested in animals. By the age of seven, he had created his own zoo. His interest in animals grew, and eventually, he enrolled in zoology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. However, at the age of 21 he quit school to work at the Saint Louis Zoo for $3.75 per week. Immediately, Marlin made his love of snakes known to Zoo Director George Vierheller. Two weeks after starting work, Marlin was in charge of six reptiles - the zoo's entire collection. Marlin expanded the collection and designed cages for the exhibit. This drew large crowds and a permanent exhibition was approved. Within two years of his employment at the Saint Louis Zoo, Marlin was named Curator of Reptiles. During the next 11 years, Marlin added 500 additional animals.

In 1938, Marlin began working as director for the New York Zoological Gardens in Buffalo. In 1944, the Lincoln Park Zoo hired him as their director. In 1945, Marlin began a live television show called "Zoo Parade" that featured animals from the Lincoln Park Zoo. With this show, Marlin displayed an animal live on the air and accompanied it with a monologue on the animal's habitat, behavior and genetic history. In 1949, the show was picked up nationally and was carried coast to coast until it ended in 1955.

In 1962, Marlin returned to his duties as the full-time director of the Saint Louis Zoo. It was also in 1962 that many of us began sitting in front of our TVs every Sunday at 6:30 pm to watch "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom." During Marlin's tenure on this show, he expressed his love and respect for animals and warned viewers that extinction is forever. Marlin understood that if you give children an understanding and appreciation of wildlife, that respect for nature will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Most of us sitting here today are proof that he was right.

Dr. Murray E. Fowler

This respect for nature was so impressed upon one of us, that he has devoted his life to the study and preservation of wildlife even though there were no training programs available when he embarked upon the study of zoological medicine. Whenever available, he has attended seminars, short courses and conferences not only in the United States, but internationally as well.

During a sabbatical year at the San Diego Zoo, he developed keeper training programs. He has developed and taught classes in zoological medicine for almost 30 years. The recipient is certified by the American Board of Veterinary Toxicologists, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the American College of Zoological Medicine. In 1967, he assumed responsibility for the Zoological Medicine program at the University of California, School of Veterinary Medicine. From 1974-93, he maintained a clinic for non-domestic and non-traditional species within the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California. He has taught and conducted research in non-traditional animal species since 1967.

He is a member of Alpha Zeta, Gamma Sigma Delta, Phi Zeta, Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Xi, American College of Veterinary Toxicology, American Board of Veterinary Toxicology, American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, American Veterinary Medical Association, Wildlife Disease Association, California Veterinary Medical Association, International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine, American College of Veterinary Internists, American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, East African Wildlife Society, Association of Avian Veterinarians and the American College of Zoological Medicine.

He is the past recipient of the annual faculty teaching award presented by the senior class of the School of Veterinary Medicine, the Stange Memorial Alumni Award from the Iowa State University Veterinary School, the Maagizo Award for Outstanding Service to the Sacramento, California Zoo, the Park Davis Veterinary Award for Outstanding Contributions to Zoological Medicine, the Emil P. Dolensek Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Zoological Medicine and the Murray E. Fowler Achievement Award.

In keeping with Marlin Perkins' focus on children, he has been a registered adult scout leader for 40 years. He has served on the Chairman Training Committee of the Yolo District Boy Scouts of America. Additionally, he has been the Woodbadge Training Instructor for the Boy Scouts of America, and a District Commissioner on the Yolo District Golden Empire Council.

His special contributions to zoological medicine include developing the first, and for many years only, academic training program for residents in zoological medicine. He authored and edited approximately one-third of the first English language book on zoo and wild animal medicine. He authored a major book on restraint and handling of animals that is now in its second edition. He has presented numerous short courses, seminars, wet labs and lectures on a variety of topics dealing with non-domestic animals in North and South America, Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa and Australia. He has prepared numerous auto-tutorial programs on zoological medicine topics, and edited the Annual Proceedings of Journal Zoo Animal Medicine of AAZV for 12 years. He has served as reviewer of zoological medicine topics for JAVMA, J. Wildlife Diseases, California Veterinarian, Medical Primatology, Theriogenology and Zoo Biology. He provided opportunity for degree-oriented graduate studies in zoological medicine and has supervised students from Nepal, Sudan, Nigeria, Mexico, Brazil and the United States. He developed a strong program in Llama medicine and surgery with clinical and research activities and has developed and maintained a teaching KodaChrome slide collection of more than 59,500 slides.

The recipient has truly followed in the footsteps of Marlin Perkins and proven himself an inspiration to others. I am proud to present the Marlin Perkins Award to Murray Fowler.