Les Whitt
Encyclopedia
Robert Leslie Whitt, known as Les Whitt (August 22, 1951–August 16, 2008), was the award-winning director of Alexandria Zoological Park in Alexandria
, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city
in Central Louisiana
, having served from 1974 until his death from heart
complications only six days prior to what would have been his 57th birthday. Whitt was also a musician
who mastered a Hammond B-3 organ
and played with B.B. King and B.B. Major, whom he had accompanied at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Whitt was born to the late Mr. and Mrs. James V. Whitt, Sr., in Natchez
, Mississippi
. In 1994, he received a heart transplant at Ochsner Foundation Hospital founded in New Orleans by the physician
Alton Oschner. His donor was Lane Bourgeois of Prairieville
in Ascension Parish. Whitt was an advocate of organ donation and frequently spoke on behalf of the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency.
Whitt was appointed zookeeper by Malcolm P. Hebert (1926-2006), Alexandria’s last elected streets and parks commissioner prior to the establishment in 1977 of the Mayor-council government
, in which Hebert initially served as the director of public works under Mayor
Carroll E. Lanier
. The zoo is located adjacent to Bringhurst Park off Masonic Drive and near the Alexandria Mall. It grew exponentially after Whitt’s appointment as director and became a large facility for a medium-sized city. In 1993, Whitt received the prestigious Dunbar Award for Louisiana
Civil Service
.
At the age of sixteen, Whitt joined the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. Over the years, he served the organization in various capacities, such as that as the leader of the Accreditation Inspection Team. He was recognized for his innovative zoo exhibits and designs. He represented the Alexandria zoo in worldwide conservation
efforts to preserve endangered species
. David Lind, past president of the civic group Friends of the Alexandria Zoo, said that Whitt was more than a zookeeper: "He really was the Renaissance man
." He was a mentor
to young zoo professionals, teen volunteers, the Boy Scouts
, as well as other musicians.
, a world-renowned animal expert, often lauded Whitt and the Alexandria zoo over national television
. Hanna recalled Whitt as humble and willing to offer his advice where he could help. Hanna recalled having been employed at a small zoo in central Florida
when he needed advice on how to treat a sick animal. When Whitt learned of Hanna’s problem, he brought down a team to treat the animal. Hanna told Alexandria Daily Town Talk
that “If all the people who ran zoos in this country were Leslies, we'd have no problems in any of our zoos.”
Hanna said that Whitt could have accepted employment at larger, more prestigious zoos than Alexandria Zoological Park: “He could have run any zoo in the country ... but he loved that town. He loved the people there.. . . . People like that just don’t exist any more. You don’t replace a Leslie Whitt."
Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy
, who was four years old when Whitt accepted the zookeeper’s position, issued a statement of condolences for those mourning the "loss of a true son of Alexandria. Les was given a second chance at life [heart transplant], an opportunity he made the most of, crafting a sustainable legacy that will live as long as Alexandria does.”
Whitt died at Oschner’s. Hundreds attended his funeral services held on August 20, 2008, at the Alexandria Riverfront Center. News of his passing was carried in newspapers and on television
stations not only throughout Louisiana but in other states. Burial followed at Greenlawn Cemetery in Natchez. Survivors included his wife of thirty-four years, Lee Ann Whitt, the educational curator of the zoo who is originally from Meadville
in Franklin County
in southwestern Mississippi; two daughters, Sarah Mathews and Hanna Lee Whitt, all of Alexandria, and two brothers, James M. Whitt of Natchez and John V. Whitt, Jr., of Dauphin Island, Alabama
.
Mark Rose, a former Alexandria public works director who serves as vice president of design at Busch Gardens
in Tampa
, eulogized Whitt at the funeral. Rose said that Whitt as a very young man had the goal of transforming the Alexandria zoo into a top-notch facility. "He decided that he would devote his life to Alexandria and that zoo and turn it around and make it something special – and he did," Rose recalled.
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in Central Louisiana
Central Louisiana
Central Louisiana , also known as the Crossroads region, is the part of Louisiana that includes the following parishes: Allen Parish, Beauregard Parish, Catahoula Parish, Concordia Parish, Grant Parish, La Salle Parish, Natchitoches Parish, Rapides Parish, Sabine Parish and Vernon Parish.The five...
, having served from 1974 until his death from heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
complications only six days prior to what would have been his 57th birthday. Whitt was also a musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
who mastered a Hammond B-3 organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
and played with B.B. King and B.B. Major, whom he had accompanied at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Whitt was born to the late Mr. and Mrs. James V. Whitt, Sr., in Natchez
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. In 1994, he received a heart transplant at Ochsner Foundation Hospital founded in New Orleans by the physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
Alton Oschner. His donor was Lane Bourgeois of Prairieville
Prairieville, Louisiana
Prairieville is an unincorporated community in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is south of Baton Rouge and north of Gonzales, Louisiana. The latitude of is 30.302N. The longitude is -90.971W. Elevation is ....
in Ascension Parish. Whitt was an advocate of organ donation and frequently spoke on behalf of the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency.
Whitt was appointed zookeeper by Malcolm P. Hebert (1926-2006), Alexandria’s last elected streets and parks commissioner prior to the establishment in 1977 of the Mayor-council government
Mayor-council government
The mayor–council government system, sometimes called the mayor–commission government system, is one of the two most common forms of local government for municipalities...
, in which Hebert initially served as the director of public works under Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Carroll E. Lanier
Carroll E. Lanier
Carroll Edwin Lanier is a former Democratic mayor of Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in central Louisiana. Lanier served a special 5.5-year term from June 1977 to December 1982. He was the first mayor under the current mayor-council form of municipal government, which...
. The zoo is located adjacent to Bringhurst Park off Masonic Drive and near the Alexandria Mall. It grew exponentially after Whitt’s appointment as director and became a large facility for a medium-sized city. In 1993, Whitt received the prestigious Dunbar Award for Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
Civil Service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
.
At the age of sixteen, Whitt joined the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. Over the years, he served the organization in various capacities, such as that as the leader of the Accreditation Inspection Team. He was recognized for his innovative zoo exhibits and designs. He represented the Alexandria zoo in worldwide conservation
Conservation ethic
Conservation is an ethic of resource use, allocation, and protection. Its primary focus is upon maintaining the health of the natural world: its, fisheries, habitats, and biological diversity. Secondary focus is on materials conservation and energy conservation, which are seen as important to...
efforts to preserve endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
. David Lind, past president of the civic group Friends of the Alexandria Zoo, said that Whitt was more than a zookeeper: "He really was the Renaissance man
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
." He was a mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
to young zoo professionals, teen volunteers, the Boy Scouts
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
, as well as other musicians.
Whitt's legacy of accomplishment
Jack HannaJack Hanna
John Bushnell "Jack" Hanna is an American zookeeper who is the Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. He was Director of the zoo from 1978 to 1993, and is viewed as largely responsible for elevating its quality and reputation. His media appearances have made him one of the most...
, a world-renowned animal expert, often lauded Whitt and the Alexandria zoo over national television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. Hanna recalled Whitt as humble and willing to offer his advice where he could help. Hanna recalled having been employed at a small zoo in central Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
when he needed advice on how to treat a sick animal. When Whitt learned of Hanna’s problem, he brought down a team to treat the animal. Hanna told Alexandria Daily Town Talk
The Town Talk (Alexandria)
The Town Talk, started as The Daily Town Talk in 1883 and later named the Alexandria Daily Town Talk, is the major newspaper of Central Louisiana. It is published by Gannett in Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the economic center of Central Louisiana.The daily newspaper has a circulation...
that “If all the people who ran zoos in this country were Leslies, we'd have no problems in any of our zoos.”
Hanna said that Whitt could have accepted employment at larger, more prestigious zoos than Alexandria Zoological Park: “He could have run any zoo in the country ... but he loved that town. He loved the people there.. . . . People like that just don’t exist any more. You don’t replace a Leslie Whitt."
Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy
Jacques Roy
Jacques Maurice Roy is the twenty-third mayor of Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish, in central Louisiana.Roy, a Democrat, is the son of Christopher Roy, Sr., an ad hoc judge of the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal...
, who was four years old when Whitt accepted the zookeeper’s position, issued a statement of condolences for those mourning the "loss of a true son of Alexandria. Les was given a second chance at life [heart transplant], an opportunity he made the most of, crafting a sustainable legacy that will live as long as Alexandria does.”
Whitt died at Oschner’s. Hundreds attended his funeral services held on August 20, 2008, at the Alexandria Riverfront Center. News of his passing was carried in newspapers and on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
stations not only throughout Louisiana but in other states. Burial followed at Greenlawn Cemetery in Natchez. Survivors included his wife of thirty-four years, Lee Ann Whitt, the educational curator of the zoo who is originally from Meadville
Meadville, Mississippi
Meadville is a town in Franklin County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 519 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Franklin County...
in Franklin County
Franklin County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 8,448 people, 3,211 households, and 2,337 families residing in the county. The population density was 15 people per square mile . There were 4,119 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile...
in southwestern Mississippi; two daughters, Sarah Mathews and Hanna Lee Whitt, all of Alexandria, and two brothers, James M. Whitt of Natchez and John V. Whitt, Jr., of Dauphin Island, Alabama
Dauphin Island, Alabama
Dauphin Island is a town in Mobile County, Alabama , on a barrier island also named Dauphin Island , at the Gulf of Mexico. The population was 1,371 at the 2000 census. The town is included in the Mobile metropolitan statistical area...
.
Mark Rose, a former Alexandria public works director who serves as vice president of design at Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens is the name of two amusement parks in the United States, owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a division of Blackstone Group. One of the parks is in Williamsburg, Virginia, and the other is in Tampa, Florida...
in Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, eulogized Whitt at the funeral. Rose said that Whitt as a very young man had the goal of transforming the Alexandria zoo into a top-notch facility. "He decided that he would devote his life to Alexandria and that zoo and turn it around and make it something special – and he did," Rose recalled.