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X-WR-CALNAME:San Diego History Center | San Diego, CA | Our City, Our Story
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://sandiegohistory.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for San Diego History Center | San Diego, CA | Our City, Our Story
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DTSTART:20260308T100000
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261006T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261006T130000
DTSTAMP:20260604T192829
CREATED:20260219T084442Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260519T051956Z
UID:121137-1791286200-1791291600@sandiegohistory.org
SUMMARY:Book Launch: The Zoo Lady by Dr. Sandra E. Bonura
DESCRIPTION:\n			\n			\n				\n				\n				\n				\n				\n					\n				\n				\n				\n			\n			\n				\n				\n			 \n				\n				\n				\n				\n					\n				\n				\n				\n				\n				\n				\n				\n					Book Launch: The Zoo Lady by Dr. Sandra E. Bonura\nOctober 6th\, 2026 \n11:30 am – 1:00 pm \n				\n			 \n				\n				\n				\n					The Zoo Lady: The Forgotten Legend Who Saved & Then Built The San Diego Zoo  \nShe was a middle-aged\, divorced mother who became the world’s first female zoo director and the first woman to lead the National Zoo Association (AZA)—so why has history forgotten her name?  \nWhile Harry Wegeforth was the founder\, it was Belle Benchley who ensured the San Diego Zoo survived its darkest days. In 1925\, she took a temporary bookkeeping job at the struggling four-year-old zoo—a position she admittedly ‘dreaded’—only to stay for thirty years. She didn’t just save a failing institution; she built it into a world-class treasure\, reshaping global conservation long before Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey.  \nFrom wrestling rattlesnakes to orchestrating the historic cross-country giraffe trek that inspired the bestseller West with Giraffes\, Benchley was a “leader of steel” who broke the glass ceiling.  \nJoin award-winning author and historian Dr. Sandra E. Bonura for a journey through rare archival images as she uncovers how this unlikely pioneer transformed a struggling local park into a global icon.  \nBook Signing & Special Offer: Copies of Dr. Bonura’s brand-new book\, The Zoo Lady: How Belle Benchley Built the San Diego Zoo\, will be autographed and available for purchase at a special author’s discount. \nProgram ticket includes lunch \n				\n			 \n				REGISTER NOW\n			\n			 \n				\n				\n			 \n				\n				\n			 			\n			\n		
URL:https://sandiegohistory.org/event/book-launch-the-zoo-lady-by-dr-sandra-e-bonura/
LOCATION:1649 El Prado\, Suite #3 San Diego\, CA 92101\, CA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Featured
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://sandiegohistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/The-Zoo-Lady-Thumb1.jpg
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