John was born on June 1, 1921 and passed on Oct 27, 1988. He was a Detroit area artist and a zookeeper at the Detroit Zoo.

As a child, John's interest in animals was peaked by his father, an interesting man in his own right. His father, a German blacksmith who was blinded in one eye by a spark, told him stories of the African continent, when he jumped ship as a young sailor. John was raised on tales of crocodiles sunning themselves on riverbanks and lions piercing the night with their roars. John remembers his father telling stories of warding off an attacking ostrich with the only available weapons, his shoes, and of having too rely on the charity of villages he passed, as he made his way on foot through parts of Africa. He was always treated humanly, even while not being able to speak the language.

 

John was a native Detroiter. He graduated from Cass Technical High School with honors. He was drafted into the U. S. Army. He was made a medic because he refused to carry a gun, not wanting to take anyone’s life, even at the expense of his own. He was placed in the blue devil’s 88^th division on the front line in the Italian campaign. He also served in the Middle East campaign and the African campaign. He spent his time dodging bullets and retrieving soldiers, who he bandaged when possible.

During a retrieval mission of fallen soldiers, John was suddenly approached by twenty some German soldiers, who upon learning he could speak German, asked if he could help them surrender. He managed to march them to a site where he successfully negotiated their surrender. One of the soldiers gave him his uniform belt buckle, which John saved along with his medals and a few pieces of shrapnel collected from the battlefields.

Gunfire and explosions were common and loss of life was a devastating part of John’s experience. One of his fellow medics was known of as Sergeant Sad Sack. He cared for him like a brother and was very upset by his loss when he was killed in an explosion. A wonderful portrait of      him was part of the art that he did during the war. It no longer exists due to damage from a flood. (If anyone knows more about Sergeant Sad Sack please let us know).

John drew many pictures of soldiers, civilians and landscapes, during his military service. Many he gave away. To view the remaining collection, click to his personal art gallery.

At one point during the war John was crouched at the edge of a stream, when a bomb thudded into the mud a few feet away from him. It did not explode, so he washed the splattered mud off himself and then walked away.

Not being one to let any artistic opportunity pass, John spent any leave time he had exploring the famous museums and architectural landmarks of Italy and creating works of art to document the people he met and the merits of Italy.  He felt that the people and the communities of Italy were very wonderful regardless of the destruction of the war. He greatly appreciated the kindness he was shown by many citizens during his time there.

He was decorated for his service in the Italian, Middle East, and African Campaigns during World War II.

 

After the war, John came home and went to collage on a GI Bill. He eventually received a Bachelor's Degree in Education from Wayne State University, where he majored in Art and minored in the Biological Sciences.

For a while he taught art at the elementary, intermediate and high school levels, but again his interest in animals surfaced.

John began his career as a zookeeper at the Detroit Zoo in May of 1950. He worked in the Bird House for over seven years before being assigned to the Tapir Exhibit. Interested in reptiles since his youth, he was the first Senior Keeper assigned to the Holden Museum.

After he had worked there for about six years, he was asked to do some paintings of birds. They were more than just graphics of birds, they were works of art. He surprised even himself. He continued doing occasional art jobs until the post of Display Painter became available in 1973.

 

         In 1971, the Detroit Zoo was honored when John was nominated and then selected to become the first recipient of the R. Marlin Perkins Award of Excellence, the highest award the AAZK bestows. He was also made the recipient of an Honorary Life Membership in the Association. The American Association of Zoo Keepers is a semi-professional society of animal keepers formed to upgrade their job standards and image. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the Association has members in all of the major United States zoos and many foreign parks. John attended the Northeast Regional Conference in New York in June of 1971, where the award was formally presented.

While John's abilities as an animal keeper were well rounded, he was selected primarily for his outstanding contribution in creating sculptural habitats, artistic renderings for the displays and a better sign system at the Holden Museum. He was also responsible for the design and execution of many of the more intricately propped cages.

John was not only the Display Painter, but also the "artist in residence" at the Detroit Zoo. He created works of art such as the relief sculptured penguins that were located over the doors of the penguinarium. He was a zookeeper there for 22 years before he became the official Display Painter.

 

           In his spare time, John liked to juggle. Spending time hiking and observing animals, especially reptiles in the woods, were his favorite diversions.

 John's favorite medium was painting in bulletin oil enamel. He also enjoyed relief sculpture and silk-screening. He was very serious about his work.

After retiring from the Zoo John continued to be professionally creative and also developed a youth art program on the front porch of his home that helped to inspire inner city youths and gang members to be creative. He hoped to detour their interest in violence and drugs. For younger children, who often came from broken homes he acted the part of a Grandfather. At one point, for example, he took a group of over twenty excited children to an adventure at the Zoo. 

John passed on in his studio. He was creative till the very last.

He was married to Inez Marie Siegel, has one child John Adrian Siegel. and two grandchildren, Autumn Marie Siegel and Aurora Anne Siegel.

 

 

 Click here to view the art of John Alfred Siegel!