Encouragement trolling post

[MichaelHarris]

I'm working on a new book and "trolling" for interest in the topic. I'm through the first 3 chapters, (extremely rough) here is the epilogue. Ideas most welcome.

The Old Bull: William T. Hornaday
By Michael Ray Harris
Epilogue


The sounds of hammers and power saws filled the great room; workmen busied themselves removing the exhibits on display. The year was 1957, Tony Kubek of the Yankees was elected Rookie of the Year, people flocked to see “Bridge Over the River Kwai” staring Alec Guinness and William Holden, and Russia launched Sputnik. It was also the year of my birth, a year welcoming the new, and a year that forced us to remember the past. We saw the introduction of a computer language called FORTRAN and the barring of nine black students from a Little Rock, Ark. school.

As workmen inside the Smithsonian struggled to dismantle an antiquated American Bison display they discovered an old metal box buried deep inside the base of the display, covered by the dust of time and history. Inside, a note dated March 7, 1888 written in the eloquent handwriting of the time simply read:

My Illustrious Successor, Dear Sir:
Enclosed please find a brief and truthful account of the capture of the specimens which compose this group. The Old Bull, the young cow and the yearling calf were killed by yours truly. When I am dust and ashes I beg you to protect these specimens from deterioration and destruction....
W.T. Hornaday, Chief Taxidermist

William Hornaday founded the National Society of American Taxidermists in 1880 and in 1882 was named Chief Taxidermist of the National Museum (Smithsonian Institute). During his lifetime Hornaday revolutionized the way taxidermy was done, instead of the basic mount on a display board he displayed the animal in its natural surroundings, complete with flora and fauna. As much as we hate to see wildlife displayed in this way its important to understand Doctor Hornaday’s story, the story of the Old Bull itself. From his recognition of the coming demise of the American Bison, his expeditions to the west to collect specimens, to his lifelong passion to protect the wildlife of the world, his vision brought us modern wildlife conservation.