Call of the Wild
SANDS FAMILY HAS
3-GENERATION LOVE
AFFAIR WITH THE
PHOENIX ZOO
Charlie Sands remembers the day in 1959 or ’60 when he first set foot on the land that would become the Phoenix Zoo. The man who would later be credited with founding the Zoo, Robert Maytag, grandson of the founder of the Maytag appliance company, had the idea of building a zoo for the city of Phoenix. He summoned his friends to the property that would become the Zoo to share his vision. Among these friends were Marie and John Sands, who attended the evening event along with three sons.
As Charlie recalls the evening, the party was held in a large tent near where the big-horned sheep are now exhibited. “My oldest brothers, twins John and Ed, were home from college for the weekend, so they and I attended with our parents. John and Ed brought their acoustic guitars and played flamenco music and sang folk songs while all the guests enjoyed dinner and viewing the sunset and the lights of Phoenix and Tempe. Bob was charismatic and inspirational during that unforgettable evening in the desert.”
John Sands, a longtime Glendale rancher, immediately saw the possibilities. “Being a rancher, my dad was very interested in the project, and eventually served on the Phoenix Zoo board for 20 years,” Charlie says.
Unfortunately, Maytag died in March 1961 at age 38 before his dream became a reality, but his idea had caught fire with his wife, who rallied the community to complete the Zoo as a memorial to her husband. The Zoo opened as the Maytag Zoo in November 1962. The name was changed in 1963 to encourage community involvement and financial support. Today, the Phoenix Zoo is the largest nonprofit, privately owned zoo in the country. It supports both local and global conservation of endangered species.
The Sands family still is counted among the Zoo’s supporters. Charlie Sands and his wife, Jennifer, are on board with its conservation mission. He is a prolific reader about wildlife, interested in various species around the world and how they live in their natural habitats. Jennifer knows the Zoo and its creatures well, and expresses a natural interest the behavioral enrichment activities that keep the animals stimulated in their managed setting.
The Sands family love affair with the Zoo has been passed on to Jennifer and Charlie’s son John, 21. He has helped underwrite the native bee habitat installation created by Tucson artist Greg Corman. The installation is now on display in the Zoo’s Harmony Farms area. For Rendez-Zoo, John underwrote one of the three Animal Encounter sponsorships, supporting the animal ambassadors and their keepers for the evening.
Jennifer and Charlie are the chairs of this year’s Rendez-Zoo, the Oct. 11 gala to raise support for world-class conservation initiatives, provide care for the Zoo’s more than 1,400 animals and provide educational programs throughout the state. Guests at the event, will be greeted not only by animal ambassadors and their keepers, but also by the Phoenix Boys Choir. After cocktails, hors d’oeuvres during the silent auction (filled with unique items!), dinner will be served lakeside, prepared by Eddie Matney. Dancing to the music of the Raun Alosi Band will follow dinner.
