Things you probably didn't know, don't want to know, or don't care to know about Tom Funke He has an adversion to eating things he picked as a child (asparagus, strawberries, blueberries) First donned a backpack in 1993 and took his brother to the Sylvania Wilderness where they were completely miserable. Hiked 450 miles across Michigan's Upper Peninsula during a six week period in the summer of 1998. Was attacked by a shark while swimming in Iowa. Favorite animal is the Marabou Stork Has visited over 60 zoos and aquariums Was the second person on Western's Campus in the 1980's to wear rollerblades and was promptly harrassed by the cops for doing so Was a punk rocker in high school, saw Henry Rollins front Black Flag in 1985 Once carved a "W" in the back of his head for a Western football game. Is a rabid hockey fan and used to play until forced into retirement due to aformentioned shark bite. Used to sneak out of the house as a toddler and ride tricycle in the wee hours of the morning . . . in the buff. Until age 17, thought his middle name was "get wood" If you smoke, he has a surefire way to make you quit. One of a handfull of people to have been inside Aldo Leopold's "Shack" Has met Jack Hanna, Jeff Corwin, Gordie Howe, and Dave Foreman. Has Wayne Gretzky's 'real' rookie card. It's worth $2.50. Thinks green lawns, cell phones, golf, and diamonds are mankind's biggest scams. Has deepfried over one million taco shells. As a member of the "Apple Shine Gang", was busted for toiletpapering in high school. Married to wife, Susan, and are expecting the birth of their first child in April 2008. Is oldest of four children. Angie, Julie, and Tim (a Marine) |
Born in Muskegon, Michigan in 1968, Tom Funke spent his childhood roaming the fields, forests, and swamps on his parent's rural 25 acre hobby farm in Bangor, Michigan. Funke's parents, James and Johnell, encouraged him to play outside and to participate in the garden and take care of the various animals on the farm. "I basically spent my entire childhood chasing frogs, climbing trees, and exploring streams", says Funke, who is currently Director of Conservation with the Michigan Audubon Society. Funke graduated from Bangor High School where he was mentored by Mr. Don Hodgman, his high school biology teacher. "Mr. Hodgman really pushed us to be better students. It was his goal to turn every one of us into biologists. Well, it worked on me and many of my friends and family that had him for a teacher". After high school, Funke attended Western Michigan University and majored in, you guessed it, Biology. He also added another major, Environmental Studies. While attending Western, Funke worked at a fast-food Mexican Restaurant, Taco Grande (now known as Taco Bob's) for six years. "How many people do you know can claim they worked for a fast food restaurant for six years?" Funke credits Taco Bob and his wife (a.k.a. Robert and Nancy Ketteman) for his work ethic and excellent customer service. While walking through campus one spring day in 1989, he diverted into the student center, as it was raining and Funke was without a raincoat. There was a summer employment expo taking place. "I needed a summer job, so I checked it out". One of the booths was Binder Park Zoo. The rest is history. Funke started as an education intern presenting animals to zoo guests. He was hired the following winter as a program interpreter, giving presentations to schools on the Binder Park Zoo Zoomobile. He recently stepped down from the position of Director of Conservation Education. "I've was very fortunate to work for an employer that nurtures employees and demands the very best out of them. Being a private, not for profit, non-governmental agency, I've realized that I am very productive when given the chance and allowed to be creative without worrying about my ideas being quashed by a large bureaucracy". Funke credits former Director of Education Elisabeth Hunt and current CEO and President Greg Geise for letting him "think out of the box" and pursue opportunities for the zoo, and lead international trips, a favorite part of his job. Funke has been heavily involved in the Conservation Discovery Center, Wild Africa, and the Swamp Adventure, the latter he considers "his baby". A new opportunity arose as Funke was hired as the first Director of Conservation of the Michigan Audubon Society. He lives on one of their sanctuaries, the Otis Sanctuary, in Barry County. site and maintains trails and does the occasional program, usually a nature hike. "I especially enjoy interacting with Otis descendants, as they are very interested in the sanctuary, as the land has been in their family for 150 years." Funke recognizes Baker Sanctuary Resident Manager Mike Boyce and past Michigan Audubon Society President Loretta Gold for allowing him the opportunity to be a steward of a "real bird sanctuary". Tom has hiked over 1500 miles of the North Country Trail, including hiking the entire states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. He's also hiked hundreds of miles in Minnesota and Pennsylvania. The North Country Trail is 4500 miles long and is found in NY, PA, OH, MI, WI, MN, and ND. He is currently in the process of writing the first guide to the trail. Another book tells the story of his 6 week, 450 mile adventure across the UP in 1998. In the meantime, his first published book, "50 Hikes in Michigan's Upper Peninsula", hits bookshelves in the summer of 2008. (Countryman Press). Funke was recently recognized by Western Michigan University's Environmental Studies program with an Outstanding Achievement Award presented to him by the College of Arts and Sciences. His first published book, "50 Hikes in Michigan's Upper Peninsula" will hit the shelves in the spring of 2008 (Countryman Press). For a complete resume, click here. |
About Tom Funke |
Born in Muskegon, Michigan in 1968, Tom Funke spent his childhood roaming the fields, forests, and swamps on his parent's rural 25 acre hobby farm in Bangor, Michigan. Funke's parents, James and Johnell, encouraged him to play outside and to participate in the garden and take care of the various animals on the farm. "I basically spent my entire childhood chasing frogs, climbing trees, and exploring streams", says Funke, who is currently Director of Conservation with the Michigan Audubon Society. Funke graduated from Bangor High School where he was mentored by Mr. Don Hodgman, his high school biology teacher. "Mr. Hodgman really pushed us to be better students. It was his goal to turn every one of us into biologists. Well, it worked on me and many of my friends and family that had him for a teacher". After high school, Funke attended Western Michigan University and majored in, you guessed it, Biology. He also added another major, Environmental Studies. While attending Western, Funke worked at a fast-food Mexican Restaurant, Taco Grande (now known as Taco Bob's) for six years. "How many people do you know can claim they worked for a fast food restaurant for six years?" Funke credits Taco Bob and his wife (a.k.a. Robert and Nancy Ketteman) for his work ethic and excellent customer service. While walking through campus one spring day in 1989, he diverted into the student center, as it was raining and Funke was without a raincoat. There was a summer employment expo taking place. "I needed a summer job, so I checked it out". One of the booths was Binder Park Zoo. The rest is history. Funke started as an education intern presenting animals to zoo guests. He was hired the following winter as a program interpreter, giving presentations to schools on the Binder Park Zoo Zoomobile. He recently stepped down from the position of Director of Conservation Education. "I've was very fortunate to work for an employer that nurtures employees and demands the very best out of them. Being a private, not for profit, non-governmental agency, I've realized that I am very productive when given the chance and allowed to be creative without worrying about my ideas being quashed by a large bureaucracy". Funke credits former Director of Education Elisabeth Hunt and current CEO and President Greg Geise for letting him "think out of the box" and pursue opportunities for the zoo, and lead international trips, a favorite part of his job. Funke has been heavily involved in the Conservation Discovery Center, Wild Africa, and the Swamp Adventure, the latter he considers "his baby". A new opportunity arose as Funke was hired as the first Director of Conservation of the Michigan Audubon Society. He lives on one of their sanctuaries, the Otis Sanctuary, in Barry County. site and maintains trails and does the occasional program, usually a nature hike. "I especially enjoy interacting with Otis descendants, as they are very interested in the sanctuary, as the land has been in their family for 150 years." Funke recognizes Baker Sanctuary Resident Manager Mike Boyce and past Michigan Audubon Society President Loretta Gold for allowing him the opportunity to be a steward of a "real bird sanctuary". Tom has hiked over 1500 miles of the North Country Trail, including hiking the entire states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. He's also hiked hundreds of miles in Minnesota and Pennsylvania. The North Country Trail is 4500 miles long and is found in NY, PA, OH, MI, WI, MN, and ND. He is currently in the process of writing the first guide to the trail. Another book tells the story of his 6 week, 450 mile adventure across the UP in 1998. In the meantime, his first published book, "50 Hikes in Michigan's Upper Peninsula", hits bookshelves in the summer of 2008. (Countryman Press). Funke was recently recognized by Western Michigan University's Environmental Studies program with an Outstanding Achievement Award presented to him by the College of Arts and Sciences. His first published book, "50 Hikes in Michigan's Upper Peninsula" will hit the shelves in the spring of 2008 (Countryman Press). For a complete resume, click here. |
Things you probably didn't know, don't want to know, or don't care to know about Tom Funke He has an adversion to eating things he picked as a child (asparagus, strawberries, blueberries) First donned a backpack in 1993 and took his brother to the Sylvania Wilderness where they were completely miserable. Hiked 450 miles across Michigan's Upper Peninsula during a six week period in the summer of 1998. Was attacked by a shark while swimming in Iowa. Favorite animal is the Marabou Stork Has visited over 60 zoos and aquariums Was the second person on Western's Campus in the 1980's to wear rollerblades and was promptly harrassed by the cops for doing so Was a punk rocker in high school, saw Henry Rollins front Black Flag in 1985 Once carved a "W" in the back of his head for a Western football game. Is a rabid hockey fan and used to play until forced into retirement due to aformentioned shark bite. Used to sneak out of the house as a toddler and ride tricycle in the wee hours of the morning . . . in the buff. Until age 17, thought his middle name was "get wood" If you smoke, he has a surefire way to make you quit. One of a handfull of people to have been inside Aldo Leopold's "Shack" Has met Jack Hanna, Jeff Corwin, Gordie Howe, and Dave Foreman. Has Wayne Gretzky's 'real' rookie card. It's worth $2.50. Thinks green lawns, cell phones, golf, and diamonds are mankind's biggest scams. Has deepfried over one million taco shells. As a member of the "Apple Shine Gang", was busted for toiletpapering in high school. Married to wife, Susan, and are expecting the birth of their first child in April 2008. Is oldest of four children. Angie, Julie, and Tim (a Marine) |
Tomfunke.com...biography |
