Skip to main contentThe two men in the sepia-toned photographs above could be a couple of low-budget Civil War reenactors standing in thin woods down South next to an old-time steamer decked out with two Rebel flags.
But that's not what they are. They're Oregon Zoo employees, standing on public property next to a beloved 47-year-old public icon, the zoo train, which bears the nameplate "General Lee" (visible in the photo above right).
One of the men is Ken Lauderback, engineer of the train, which normally bears the name "Oregon" on its run between the zoo and Washington Park. The other is Greg Newcomb, a part-time worker who does various jobs for the zoo.
Lauderback, a Civil War history buff and collector of antique memorabilia, told WW that the photos were taken several months ago on the zoo rail line for private use as an expression of a jovial, North-South rivalry between friends. He got the OK to do so from the zoo's deputy director, Carmen Hannold.
"It has nothing to do with any racism," says Lauderback. "I had permission to do this on my own time and away from the public."
Moreover, he says the photos were kept on a desk in a train building at the zoo that few members of the public ever enter. Lauderback adds that he tucks the photos away when a tour does come through. But Lauderback, who has worked at the zoo for 14 years, was also aware of how inflammatory the pictures might be.
"Do not, under any circumstances, publish that photograph, because it has Confederate flags on it and you will cost me my job," he told WW in a phone interview. "I'm so far from being a racist it's not even funny. To me, it's malicious on your part. You are trying to stir up trouble where none exists."
Lauderback apologized Friday in an email to all zoo staff. (To read it, visit wweek.com.)
The photos were leaked to WW by someone who said at least some zoo employees who saw them felt they were inappropriate. Hannold says no employees had complained about the photos to her.
The photos surfaced on the heels of another racially charged stink at the zoo (see Murmurs, Sept. 6, 2006). Last month, WW reported that the new elephant-barn supervisor, Joe Sebastiani, showed up to his first day of work Aug. 21 sporting a bumper sticker on his car that called the white race "Earth's most endangered species." Sebastiani told zoo officials it was a joke played on him by former co-workers and removed it. He was not disciplined.
Hannold has seen the train photos and finds nothing wrong with them. She says the zoo gets daily requests from its guests, its employees and outside groups to film or photograph its facilities. There is no written policy or standards for deciding among the hundreds of requests they get yearly.
"Our standard is based on how the photograph is taken and its end use," she says. "If this photograph were to be used in a train magazine, it would have been assessed differently than for personal use."
After WW asked Metro Council President David Bragdon to look at the photos last week, Bragdon said he was troubled by the zoo's lack of a clear policy (Metro runs the zoo).
"What if someone came to us and said they were a World War II enthusiast and wanted to pose by the train in a Nazi uniform?" he asked. "Clearly, we need to be able to draw a line."
The photos surfaced at a time when tensions between zoo staff and management have been high. Last week the employees' union voted 75-6 not to ratify a new labor contract.
Newcomb, who has worked at the zoo for five years, did not respond to a request for comment made through zoo officials.
The Confederate photos were removed last week from the train building after WW's inquiry.
An apology email sent Friday, Sept. 29 from Ken Lauderback to all zoo employees.
Full-size pictures @ www.wweek.com/media/8053.jpg & www.wweek.com/media/8053-1.jpg
WWeek 2015