Friends

We extend our sincere gratitude to our donors for their generous support and encouragement. We couldn't do it without you. Thank you!

We are grateful to the following teachers and other leaders for bringing groups to GCC for tours and volunteering:

Colleges and Universities:

Alan Hancock College: Brian Stokes
California State University, Bakersfield: Brian Hemphill
California State University, Fullerton: Teryl Schessler
California State University, Los Angeles: Geri-Ann Galanti, Donald Sutherland
California State University, Northridge: Naomi Bishop, Wendy Birky, Erik Zamora (CSUN Anthropology Students Association)
Cerritos College: Jeff Rigby
College of the Canyons: Jeanie Paris, Sally Smith
Cypress College: Christine Sepulveda
El Camino College: Angela Mannen; Blair Gibson, Rick Chacon, Marianne Waters
Fullerton College: Annik Ramsey
Glendale Community College: Eric Johnston, Victoria Buresch
Long Beach City College: John Olmsted
Los Angeles City College: Elias Kary, Chris Klein
Los Angeles Harbor College: Wendy Hoole Cundiff
Los Angeles Pierce College: Phil Stein, David Schutzer, Bruce Rowe, Diane Levine, "Noble" Eisenlauer, Karen Polakoff-Lipman
Los Angeles Southwest College: Selma Morley
Los Angeles Valley College: Sue Engler, Rebecca Stein, Eugene Scott, Gary Kovnat, Chris Klein, Leanne Wolfe
Loyola Marymount University: Wendy Binder
Moorpark College: John Baker, Cindy Wilson
Pasadena City College: Lauren Arenson, Derek Milne, Gil Ramos, Andrea Murray, Alexis Altounian
Porterville College: Richard Osborne
Saddleback Community College: Mike Merrifield, Claire Cesareo-Silva, Christine Sepulveda
Santa Ana College: Wendy Hoole Cundiff
Santiago Canyon College: Wendy Hoole Cundiff
Ventura Community College: Cari Lange
West Los Angeles College: Selma Morley, Barbara Mathieu

Elementary, Middle and High Schools

La Petite Academy: Crystal, Virginia Mark Oakwood School: Dean Sexton
Pinecrest Schools: Kristi Ullman, Debbi Moore, Mrs. Dison, Mrs. Landesman, Alexander Anderson, Kim Bible, Charisse Richards, Sherri
Skyblue Mesa Elementary School: Mr. Weiss, Mrs. Hartley, Ms. Chen

Other Groups

Coach USA
Harman Multimedia: Colleen Clayton
LA Works: Jay Ross, Mary Ann James
Main Street Tours: Shawn
Placerita Canyon Park and Nature Center: Jim Southwell
Sierra Club: Rosemarie White
Gymtastics: Peggy Sue Fisher
LA Zoo Docents: Steve Braddock
Legacy Tours

Our veterinarian, Howard Martin

GCC is honored to be working with Howard Martin, DVM. He is a very brilliant, caring veterinarian who has been interested in gibbons since he was 12 years old, when he first read Carpenter's monograph on the lar gibbons. We look forward to a long and successful working relationship with him.

Good-bye, Linda, our Number One Member

We were so sad to learn of the passing of one of the Gibbon Conservation Center's staunchest and longest supporters. Linda Countryman proudly carried GCC membership card #1, which meant as much to her as it did to us. Linda was a mentor and good friend to Alan Mootnick, and her loss is very meaningful to all of us. We wish Linda the very best in her journey. We will dedicate our next newsletter to her, and we send our sincere condolences to her family.

In Appreciation of Max, by Alan Mootnick

I would like to thank Max McElroy, DVM for all of the help that he gave to GCC in the past 20 years. Max graduated from the University of Oklahoma, where his uncle was the first Dean of the Veterinary Department. Max practiced veterinary medicine for over 40 years. During that time, he worked as one of the first veterinarians at the Los Angeles Zoo, at the Los Angeles County Veterinarian Services, and later had his own veterinarian practice in Sherman Oaks. When I met Max he was in his late 40's, and he was such a vital man that I never thought of him as growing older. It was hard for me to conceive of him being 69 years old when he died. Max was my dear friend who treated me as one of his relatives, and I am very honored to have been his friend. I enjoyed all the time we spent working together and am so grateful for his generosity, humor and for all that he taught me about the veterinary care of our gibbons. He was never too busy to help with the gibbons and rarely charged GCC for his assistance. Max was a very kind man to all animals and to all the people who knew him. If anyone I know is going to heaven, it is definitely Max. Good-bye Max, I really miss you.

Nippy, World's Oldest Known Gibbon Dies

Director Alan Mootnick was honored to write a letter a few years ago to the Guinness Book of Records on Nippy’s behalf as being the oldest living gibbon. From his records he died at about 60 yrs of age. Nippy has set a new record of the oldest living gibbon, and we hope there will be more gibbons who have the honor of living as long as he did.

Thanks to:

Steve Brown at Cal Arts (California Institute of the Arts) for a very special children's web page that we hope to add to this site.

Our first websites were made for us by Ron Armstrong and Lehi Harris who donated their time and expertise. We are grateful to them. Thanks!