61 years after he left zoo job, cook is back where it all started
In 1946, decades before the polo field at Brackenridge Park in San Antonio was turned into a driving range, it was John Godoy’s first workplace. The 9year-old’s job was picking up empty soda and beer bottles that would later be returned for deposit.
He earned 10 cents a day. A year and a half later, he was offered a job at the nearby San Antonio Zoo, leading donkey cart tours around the animal exhibits at age 11.
He worked there into early adulthood, leaving in 1957 when he got married and left town to pursue a culinary career.
Now, 61 years after he left the zoo, he’s working there again.
“I decided I wanted to come back,” said Godoy, 81, “and retire from the first job I had. I enjoy working here — every day is different. Being at home doing nothing is no fun.”
With support from his wife, Amelia, and their four children, many grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, Godoy is working as a food prep cook at the zoo’s Riverview Restaurant. In age, he’s second only to Felipe Guajardo, who’s 86 and works in maintenance.
Godoy started several months ago, tidying the dining area, before the manager learned about his culinary skills. Now the cheerful octogenarian has moved back into the kitchen, helping with buffets and displaying his mastery at carving ice and fruit sculptures. “I’m not afraid to clean tables,” Godoy said during a break at the Beastro restaurant, where he sometimes helps out. “It’s a job.”
Increasingly, older adults across the nation are extending their work years.
According to Forbes, 9.8 million Americans 65 years old and older had jobs in 2017, accounting for 6 percent of the workforce.
Culinary director Mike Abel called Godoy “a wealth of knowledge.”
“He’s doing a lot of things in the culinary field that I aspire to do,” Abel said. “It’s a pleasure to have John with us at the zoo before he calls it a career.”
When he first worked at the zoo, Godoy woke up early to
catch a bus from his South Side home to arrive at the gates by 6 a.m.
Longhorn cattle grazed at the spot where the Children’s Petting Zoo is today. The aquarium hadn’t been built yet. The Donkey Barn stables of that era now are a memory, replaced in 2016 by offices and an education center.
Godoy recalls his start at the facility clearly. Then-Zoo Director Fred Stark offered him the donkey cart job, which paid 50 cents per trip. Every day he would harness his mule, Silver, and say: “Be good, behave, and we’re going to have a good day and make a lot of money.”
He moved to dicing fruit and vegetables for the monkeys before transferring to a concession stand, located where the Riverview Restaurant is now.
Godoy worked the front windows next to three other cashiers, taking food orders from long lines of hungry guests back then. They yelled orders to short-order cooks, who’d echo the orders back to them. They’d calculate customers’ bills in their heads.
He worked there until June 28, 1957, two days before his wedding. Then he left to work in the cooking trade at hotels in Denver, Houston and Dallas before returning home this year.
Culinary manager Ruben Dietz, 30, said Godoy stands out for his hard work. The former competitive chef is most comfortable working with fellow cooks in the kitchen.
Dietz recalled that Godoy arrived for his job interview with a huge scrapbook, thick with photos of awards and sculpted pieces from culinary competitions. “This is my resume,” he recalled Godoy telling him. “Don’t look at my age, but my knowledge.”
Dietz said one of the treasured items in his office is a double-sided page of award-winning sculptures that Godoy gave him from his book.
Dietz said Godoy’s expertise has made a difference. The restaurant has changed menu items, such as its beans side dish, to mimic Godoy’s recipes. Dietz said Godoy’s work ethic has rubbed off on other staff members, such as lead line cook Joe Rodriguez, who Godoy has taken under his wing.
“I thought, ‘Wow, I have this talent on my team,’” Dietz said. “He’s a very humble man, likes to come in and get the job done right. He’s a definite asset.”
The manager said the only time he has seen Godoy excited was when he met the zoo’s CEO and executive director, Tim Morrow, a scene reminiscent of when he was 11 and met then-director Stark.
“The honor is mine,” Morrow said.
Zoo spokesman Chuck Cureau said Godoy has become a role model for other employees.
“It’s particularly fitting that we have someone like Mr. John who started his career here, and it’s his desire to end his career here,” Cureau said. “It’s a testament to the family feel we have here. Mr. John is inspiring to all of us.”