You could say the Zoo is in their DNA. At a recent reception honoring the Lowy family for their latest contribution (helping fund the new Swan Lake habitat), we chatted with three generations of Lowys about the family’s extraordinary involvement with the Los Angeles Zoo—a relationship that dates back more than sixty years!
It all started with Alfred P. Lowy. After retiring from a successful career as a sales executive in the textile industry, he had time on his hands and energy to burn. An avid traveler, art collector, and wildlife enthusiast, he had visited zoos around the world. So, when he strolled through the old Griffith Park Zoo, he was greatly disappointed. He wrote a letter to L.A.’s then-mayor, Sam Yorty, which read in part, “Your zoo stinks!”
Rather than take offense, the mayor enlisted Lowy in the effort to plan a new, improved zoo.
When the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA) was formed in 1963, Lowy signed on as a charter member. Soon thereafter, he joined GLAZA’s board of trustees. As a member of the Animal Acquisition committee, he helped procure animals for the new zoo, occasionally even tagging along to observe transfers. Eventually, he became chairman of the board, a post he held until 1976, when declining health caused him to cut back on his activities.
The Lowys remained active in the life of the Zoo. Alfred’s wife, Lorraine, served on the GLAZA board from 1977 to 1983, and the couple contributed to various Zoo projects. The most notable of these was Monkey Island (on the spot Swan Lake occupies today), which opened in 1979, two years before Alfred’s death. Monkey Island was home to woolly monkeys, and later, ring-tailed lemurs, but in the late 1990s, it was repurposed for swans. Now completely renovated, the habitat features a large working water wheel, a waterfall, and plenty of room for the inhabitants—a pair of trumpeter swans named Dewey and Webby—to paddle around.
The Lowys’ son Alan followed his parents’ footsteps, serving on GLAZA’s board from 2017 to 2024. A retired real estate developer and investor, Alan’s business aptitude, coupled with his lifelong affinity for the Zoo, made him a perfect fit for the role. “I’ve served on several boards, and I enjoy that side of things,” he says. Of his family’s longstanding support of the Zoo, he adds, “I think we’ve gotten a lot more out of it than we put in, which is wonderful.”
Alan’s daughter Jennifer Lowy Page became the third generation of her family to serve the Los Angeles Zoo when she applied to GLAZA’s docent program in April 2020. Her father had urged Jennifer to join the board of trustees, but she feels far more comfortable strolling zoo grounds than sitting in a boardroom. “That’s just not really my thing,” she says of the budget and finance meetings that are part of a board member’s duties. “I don’t really care about the numbers. I want to walk around the Zoo, and I want to talk to people about the animals.” Her face lights up when talking about her particular favorites—the tapirs and okapis.
Jennifer’s son, meanwhile, seems equally at home on both sides of the equation. A public policy expert and committed conservationist, Morgan Roth is currently chair of the planning commission for the city of Agoura Hills. He joined GLAZA’s board in 2024, motivated not only by a desire to continue his family legacy, but also to expand access to conservation education. “I think there’s a tremendous amount of value in education, and conservation efforts, and providing Angelenos with the opportunity to understand how local conservation initiatives ultimately have a global impact.”
“My great-grandfather played such an instrumental part in the early days of the Zoo,” he adds. “And I want to continue to foster future generations of conservation efforts, so that others can have those same experiences that my family had growing up here.”
As for the fifth generation, Morgan’s son and daughter aren’t quite ready for board service, but both the young zooper-troopers were clearly smitten by Dewey and Webby during the event honoring their family’s donation to the swan habitat. So, who knows what the future will hold?
