You might not know Belle Jennings Benchley by name, but I'm sure you've heard of the business she ran for nearly 30 years. Belle was the first female director of the San Diego Zoo. Her story is heartwarming and inspirational.

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SOURCES

Heilbron, Carl. “Belle Jennings Benchley (1882-1973) .” San Diego History Center , May 4, 2016. https://sandiegohistory.org/archives/biographysubject/benchley/.

K., Karie. “Belle Benchley, World's First Female Zoo Director.” Zoo Walks Through History, June 24, 2019. https://zoohistories.com/2019/06/23/belle-benchley-worlds-first-female-zoo-director/.

K., Karie. “Dr. Harry Wegeforth, Two Stubborn Elephants, and One Feisty Diablo.” Zoo Histories, May 15, 2019. https://zoohistories.com/2019/05/14/harry-wegeforth/.

Kahl, Norman. “Not-So-Old Lady Who Lives In A Zoo.” The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, California), October 6, 1940. www.newspapers.com.

SOUND SOURCES

Al Jolson. “I’ll Say She Does.” www.pixabay.com/music.

Lucille Hegamin and The Dixie Daisies. “Cold Winter Blues.” www.pixabay.com/music.

Sophie Tucker. “Reuben Rag.” www.pixabay.com/music.