Tim Morrow has been showing up to Battle of Flowers since he was a kid. <\/p>\n
Now, the president and CEO of San Antonio Zoo is this year\u2019s grand marshal \u2014 a role he said carries a meaning he never anticipated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been watching Battle of the Flowers since I was in the \u201970s, since I was a little child,\u201d Morrow said. \u201cTo be in it now is exciting, but to be the grand marshal and get to represent the amazing theme this year \u2014 and opening up the possibilities in the minds of all the children in San Antonio \u2014 makes it even more exciting than I could have ever imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n
A San Antonio kid through and through<\/p>\n
Morrow didn\u2019t just grow up near the zoo \u2014 he grew up inside it. He remembers the school field trips, the mold-o-ramas, the sky ride at Brackenridge Park. Those childhood memories, he said, make his current role feel especially meaningful.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing back to my hometown, my childhood zoo, and being able to be the president and CEO and make changes and improvements and really impact the city has been really fun for me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
His career path, though, wasn\u2019t a direct route. Morrow said he once had a passion for law enforcement before stumbling into his true calling. He compares the journey to navigating San Antonio\u2019s roads.<\/p>\n
\u201cLife is like the highway system in San Antonio,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s often detours, or roads closed, or you have to go another way around to get to something that you\u2019re ultimately trying to get to.\u201d<\/p>\n
He found his way to animals early, even if a zoo career never seemed realistic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was always the kid that brought home the stray animals and had frogs in my room and turtles in my room,\u201d Morrow said. \u201cI\u2019ve just always loved animals, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I\u2019d ever be working at a zoo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fiesta is personal \u2014 and now it\u2019s professional<\/p>\n
For Morrow, Fiesta isn\u2019t just a work obligation. He and his wife went to NIOSA (A Night In Old San Antonio) on one of their first dates. He has attended parades nearly every year of his life.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose 11 days are my favorite part of the year in San Antonio,\u201d he said. \u201cThe weather\u2019s great, the flowers are blooming, the city\u2019s alive, the city\u2019s excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
The zoo now has its own official Fiesta event \u2014 Festival de Animales \u2014 a two-day celebration that closes out the season. Morrow said the zoo has intentionally leaned into its San Antonio roots, including a redesigned entrance meant to evoke the energy of Fiesta.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe built this front entrance to really represent San Antonio, to feel like Fiesta,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have the papel picado, we have the music playing, people are dancing. It\u2019s just a really fun entrance and really sets the tone for the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giving back, the San Antonio way<\/p>\n
Beyond the exhibits and events, Morrow said the zoo\u2019s deeper mission is community impact. Each year, the zoo donates nearly $1 million in tickets and experiences to local nonprofits, churches and schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s really the San Antonio way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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