Three Careers, Four Decades

As the National Aquarium steams ahead each day, there's a lot that happens below deck to keep it running smoothly and on course. James Hebb, Ed Johnson and Richard Snader—all hired in 1981, the year the Aquarium opened—are the organization's three longest-serving staff members. While they're part of different teams that seldom overlap, they're each responsible for critical, below-the-deck-type jobs that many guests might not think about or be aware of but would certainly notice if they were missing or undone.

James Hebb

James Hebb was hired June 22, 1981, making him the National Aquarium team member with the longest tenure. He'd been in the U.S. Army for three years and was in the Army Reserve in 1981 while working in a temporary job with the Housing Authority of Baltimore City, cleaning out vacant houses. When James' boss at the Housing Authority was hired by the Aquarium, which was still under construction, he offered James a permanent, full-time position in the custodial department.

At the time he was hired, James had never been downtown to the Inner Harbor. He said it was exciting to see all the growth and development going on, and to be part of it. He was a member of the team that came behind the construction crew and was responsible for getting the Aquarium ready for its very first guests. From June to August, he watched as the building came to life, empty exhibits filling up with water and animals and plants. He describes opening day as hectic and thrilling.

"The line wrapped around and went way down Pratt Street," James remembers. "There were so many people. My wife got to come, and my sisters and nieces and nephews. They were so excited."

At the time of the grand opening, James wasn't yet a father. His son, Marvin, was born in 1982. "He was an Aquarium baby," James says, smiling. "And he still likes to come visit. When he was young, I used to bring him with me sometimes and put him to work a little bit. He loved it."

If you work at the Aquarium, it's sort of required that you have a favorite animal or two, and James says his are seals and dolphins. He always liked the seals that were in the outdoor pool until it closed, and he still enjoys catching glimpses of rescued seals at the Animal Care and Rescue Center in Jonestown when he's working there.

"I like to go check out the dolphins," he says, "but sometimes when I'm cleaning the amphitheater, they'll swim by and splash me, or throw their toys out, or when I'm cleaning the glass, they think it's a game and they mess it right back up."

Cheeky dolphins aside, "I've never thought about leaving the Aquarium," James says. "I like meeting different people—the staff and the visitors. I've had a lot of good times here."

James says he plans to go from full-time to part-time sometime next year so he can travel, although he hasn't decided yet where he's going first.

Ed Johnson

Ed Johnson's first day working at the National Aquarium was July 21, 1981. He'd been a stationary engineer at Johns Hopkins University for 10 years when he was hired for an engineering position at the Aquarium, keeping the animals healthy, exhibits functioning properly, and staff and guests comfortable by maintaining all the water pumps plus heating, air conditioning and electrical equipment.

There are more than 300 pumps operating at the Aquarium today. "There's one pump in Pier 3 that's 40 years old and still running," Ed says. "We maintain everything really well and replace equipment when we need to. We have a good crew."

There are nine people on the facilities team now; in the beginning there were two, including Ed.

Because it was such a small team back then, he says the scope of his job duties often extended far beyond pumps and machines and equipment. He remembers being called to the outdoor seal pool to help corral the seals so they could be weighed, and working with James Hebb to shovel a path to the building after the blizzard of 1983.

Ed met his wife, Hope, at the Aquarium in 1998 when she was a volunteer.

"I've raised 10 kids and now I have a lot of grandkids and great-grandchildren. They all love to come to the Aquarium."

For his part, Ed says he particularly likes the dolphins and sharks, and the Atlantic Coral Reef exhibit. But as much as he loves the animals, it's the people who have kept him around. "The people—the visitors and staff—are the best part of my job, and it's been that way for 40 years," he says.

A highlight of his career was being honored with the Aquarium's prestigious Frank A. Gunther Community Service Award in 2005 for his service and excellence. He's also enjoyed being part of the Aquarium as it's grown, watching Pier 4 open in 1991 and the Animal Care and Rescue Center open in 2018.

The Aquarium isn't the only Baltimore institution that Ed has had a hand in. He lived in the 700 block of 34th Street in Baltimore's Hampden neighborhood for 22 years and was there in the mid-1990s when everyone on the block, following one couple's lead, started taking their Christmas decorating to the next level. He was part of the committee that planned the annual Miracle on 34th Street event, and he strung up lights for his non-ladder-climbing neighbors.

Richard Snader

In December 1981, Richard Snader had a newly minted bachelor's degree in communication from Towson University and was working on audiovisual exhibit components at the Maryland Science Center when his mother showed him a newspaper ad: the National Aquarium was looking for an AV technician.

Because the Aquarium was brand-new, the AV equipment was state-of-the-art. Where Living Seashore is today, there was an exhibit called Habitat Theater, which Richard describes as a complex, 12-projector, multi-image show.

"The builders installed all the sophisticated AV equipment for Habitat Theater but didn't have technicians to run it, so when I got here, they were in a panic."

Richard remembers throngs of visitors, and workdays that began early and ended late. He flew solo for two years before the audiovisual services department was created, with positions for more techs. Today there are four people on the AV team, including Richard.

He says the growth and changes he's experienced at the Aquarium have helped keep him challenged and engaged. For many years, he was known as the "voice of the Aquarium," recording audio messages that played near the outdoor seal pool, in the exhibit galleries and on the phone lines. When Pier 4 opened, an AV tech in a control booth was an integral part of the dolphin shows, operating live cameras, lights and a large video wall. When Australia: Wild Extremes was under construction, Richard helped design and install sound elements like thunder, clipping into a harness and scrambling up the exhibit's rock walls when necessary to install or check speakers and subwoofers. The now-gone Sea Horses: Beyond Imagination had a custom audio track scored for the exhibit. Hidden in the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Waterfront Park are speakers disguised as rocks that surround guests with sounds of local wildlife. Today, Richard and his team find ways to incorporate touchscreens and other interactive elements into Aquarium exhibits.

"For me, AV shouldn't overpower an exhibit but should complement it for an all-encompassing experience," he says.

Richard met his wife, Sally, at the Aquarium's second anniversary party in 1983. At the time, she was a volunteer exhibit guide. They celebrated their marriage at the Aquarium in 1989, and their sons, Jesse and Ryan, have both held Aquarium jobs. His parents always loved visiting, especially for AV show premiers. "The Aquarium has been a big part of my family's lives," Richard says.

He adds, "It's been one of those things. Sometimes I'm perplexed by how long I've stayed, but I've always really enjoyed it, and I feel strongly about the mission. Time flies, and this has been a good fit for me."