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SALT LAKE CITY — At just 12 years old, James E. "Jim" Hogle Jr. began working at Utah’s Hogle Zoo by picking up trash for just $1 a day.
Now, about 70 years later and after a lifetime of working there, zoo members are mourning Hogle, who died on Monday at age 83 from a yearlong battle with liver cancer.
"Jim's influence reached far beyond zoo grounds," zoo officials wrote in a Facebook post memorializing the late chairman. "Throughout his life, he served on numerous committees, boards and philanthropic efforts. He was honored for that work in 2016 with the Philanthropic Leadership Award."
Hogle, former chairman of the board and zoo chair emeritus, served on the board of directors for more than 46 years.
The zoo credits Jim Hogle’s steady leadership with the business’s boom in growth which saw new programs, exhibits and buildings patrons enjoy now.
However, in what those who knew him called "true Jim Hogle fashion," he never took the credit and instead credited the zoo’s success to everyone but himself.
We are so, so sad to share the news that one of our leaders, James E. "Jim" Hogle, passed away on Monday, at 83, after a...
Posted by Utah's Hogle Zoo on Wednesday, October 7, 2020
"Jim’s leadership on the board is principally responsible for the Zoo’s survival and success," said current board chairman Paul Dougan in a statement. "We were friends from the age of five, grew up together, and served together on the Zoo board for over 40 years. I will miss him very much."
Jim Hogle’s grandparents, James A. and Mary Hogle, donated the land where the zoo was built and remains today.
In 2019, the zoo honored Jim Hogle by naming its new meerkat exhibit after him.
Hogle’s son Patrick has served on the board since 2002.
"My father’s legacy and achievements will live forever through Utah’s Hogle Zoo," Patrick Hogle said.
