Trunkline Magazine (Louisville Zoo) Trunkline Magazine: June 2017 | Page 24

IN MEMORIAL

Remembering Dr . Burt Cohen and Mr . Bob Bean
The Louisville Zoo family has lost two longtime friends with the passing of its second Director , Robert ( Bob ) Bean on October 21 , 2016 and former board member , Dr . Burton ( Burt ) Cohen on February 22 , 2017 .
Dr . Burt Cohen
A compassionate friend to both patient and practitioner in the Louisville medical community , Dr . Cohen was the founder of Kentuckiana Ear , Nose and Throat . He performed the first cochlear implant in Kentucky . He volunteered his time in the community and assisted in the formation of the Commission for Handicapped Children . He served as an emeritus board member for The Healing Place and the Louisville Zoo .
Dr . Cohen served on the Louisville Zoo Foundation Board for twenty-two years . During that time , he guided the construction of the African Outpost , the Boma African petting Zoo , the Mole-rat and Meerkat exhibit , Lorikeet Landing , the Papa John ’ s Splash Park , and the Alice S . Etscorn Tiger Tundra . While Dr . Cohen served as chair of the Exhibits and Facilities Committee , the Zoo earned top honors and recognition from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for Islands , Gorilla Forest and Glacier Run , ultimately setting the benchmark for all future Zoo exhibits and projects .
Mr . Bob Bean
The second director of your Louisville Zoo , Bob Bean , was a third generation Zoo Director . Mr . Bean ’ s grandfather , Edward H . Bean , and his father , Robert A . Bean , served as the first and second director of Chicago ’ s Brookfield Zoo respectively .
A native of Chicago , Bob Bean started his zoo career as an animal keeper at the Brookfield Zoo . He then went on to become a curator at the Birmingham Zoo , as well as the assistant director and then director of Busch Gardens in Florida . He joined the Louisville Zoo as director in 1974 . The Bean family is now in the fourth generation of animal care as Mr . Bean ’ s daughter , Ellen , worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx Zoo headquarters and in their global field offices .
During Bean ’ s time as Director , the Louisville Zoo was accredited for the first time by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and was designated the “ State Zoo of Kentucky .” It was also under his leadership that the Louisville Zoo built the MetaZoo education center , HerpAquarium , won a design award for its Amur tiger exhibit and celebrated its first Halloween party .
Mr . Bean ’ s daughter , Janet , shared this with the Zoo : ” Louisville , and the Zoo in particular , were rich in my father ' s life blood . In his last moments , we reminisced about sitting on our front porch on Windsor Place and discussing his day at the Zoo with my mom and all the Christmas breakfasts we shared with Zoo staff .”
Dr . Cohen and Mr . Bean both loved their families , friends , the Louisville community , and the wildlife at the Louisville Zoo , ultimately “ bettering the bond between people and our planet .” The Louisville Zoo is extremely grateful for their contributions to the welfare of our animals and the staff that cares for them .
Burt and Bob will forever be missed .
24 • Louisville Zoo Trunkline • Summer 2017