They wanted to be close to top-notch care for her, and the reputation of Children’s Hospital in Columbus was an added incentive.Īt the time, the zoo was part of Columbus’ Sewers and Drains Department and was on the verge of losing its affiliation with the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. The Hannas’ youngest daughter, Julie, had been diagnosed with leukemia and treated at St. In 1978, a friend learned that the Columbus Zoo was looking for a director. Their family grew with the addition of two more daughters, Suzanne and Julie. He held a series of odd jobs, owned a pet store, did a two-year stint as zoo director at the Central Florida Zoo, ventured into animal filmmaking and sold real estate. Subscribe to Columbus Parent’s weekly newsletter, The Bulletin.Īfter the Hannas graduated, they moved to Knoxville. Get top reads, event recommendations, guides, parenting trends and more ideas for family fun. But what warms your heart more than anything is that you just pray that you’ve made a positive difference in the world,” she says. And when I look back at it now, I just cannot believe the amazing experiences that had. Jack had graduated, but we had no idea what direction our life would take. But at that point, I still was in college. “When we got married, we danced to ‘Born Free’ and it was almost foreshadowing of what our life was going to be like. They were married in 1968, and Suzi was soon pregnant with their first daughter, Kathaleen, before graduating in 1969. … And I said, ‘Hi, I’m Jack Hanna, can you go and help me feed my donkey, please?’ … Can you imagine how romantic that is?” Hanna says with a laugh.Īt first, they were best friends, Suzi Hanna recalls, but then the relationship deepened. … And she was very pretty and a cheerleader. “In my French class I looked over and saw this beautiful lady, which was my wife today, Suzi. Hanna had taken his pet donkey, Doc, to school and it lived behind a fraternity house for a time. It was there in New Concord that he met the love of his life, Suzi Egli. After graduating from The Kiski School, an all-boys boarding school in Pennsylvania, he came to Ohio in 1965 to study at Muskingum College, as it was then known, with dreams of being a zookeeper. He developed a passion for animals on the farm his family bought when he was 5, and he started working at age 11 cleaning cages for a local veterinarian. Hanna was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1947. View Gallery: Photos: Jack Hanna Through the Years But those segments and many others played a significant role in raising the profile of the Columbus Zoo, which was perched on the brink of extinction at the time Hanna was hired. His 102 visits with late-night host David Letterman were the stuff of TV legend, with the host making jokes at Hanna’s expense and the animals occasionally running amok. In addition to having his TV own shows, he frequently made other media appearances to educate audiences about animals, the zoo and conservation. “The Man in Khaki,” as he came to be known, joined the zoo in 1978 and grew into a beloved figure not only in Central Ohio, but internationally. So if I get the time, I want to find the time to go and talk with the people who we worked with all over, with all those animals all over the world.” “We went all over the world filming things. He also wants to return to some of the countries he visited on his TV shows. “The main thing for me is that we have grandkids in England, the United Kingdom, we have them in Cincinnati, so there’s things I want to do at my age,” he says from their home near Glacier National Park in Montana. Hanna, whose contract expires at the end of the year, says the timing was right to retire and spend more time with family. He will retain the title of director emeritus, and his name will continue to be used, including on Jack Hanna’s Animal Encounters Village, which opened this summer as part of the new Adventure Cove region, the zoo’s largest. The zoo announced in June that Hanna would hang up his hat on Dec. Soon, though, the director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will retire from his post-a career that has spanned 42 years, all seven continents and more television appearances than anyone can count. Jack Hanna is many things to many people, but to Suzi, his wife of nearly 52 years, and others who know him best, it’s those qualities that stand out.īut to residents of Central Ohio young and old and to TV audiences around the world, he’s Jungle Jack Hanna-lover of animals, passionate conservationist, author, entertainer, TV personality and hands-down, without a doubt the best ambassador any zoo has ever had.
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