Kathy Burkholder
I was born in Pasadena, California and lived in the South Bay area my entire life. I currently live in Redondo Beach. I am the oldest girl of eleven children; hence much of the childcare, pet and household duties fell upon my shoulders. I have continued caring for other people and animals during my lifetime through my work and volunteerism.
I have a lifetime love of all kinds of animals and nature, and I love instilling this passion in others. Of my multiple jobs, (some simultaneously), a few stand out the most for following these needs and building upon my ability to care for animals and other people.
The jobs that best provided me the opportunity to care for animals and for the well-being of others were that of an Animal Control Officer at the SPCA and a Reserve Police Officer for the City of Hermosa Beach in the late 70’s and early 80’s when female police officers were fairly rare. I passed the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Academy at the top of my class as the only female in that category during the era when women had to compete with men in identical situations based on each person’s ability and merit.
I left Animal Control after becoming a Security Police Officer at the Los Angeles Air Force Base where I met my husband who was an officer in JAG (lawyer). I then transitioned to my dream job at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, where I was the Insect Zoo Technician, conducting the husbandry of live arthropods and teaching people the importance of insects in the environment. From there, I began my own educational and entertainment company, Kathy’s Critters. I traveled throughout Southern California to schools, scout meetings, garden clubs, birthday parties and special events, teaching the value of all animals, including arthropods, reptiles, amphibians and other “misunderstood critters,” using my own menagerie of animals. My critters included a variety of tarantulas, scorpions, gigantic cockroaches of many species, giant centipedes, many species of exotic and local insects, toads and frogs of all types, lizards of all sizes and colors, and, of course, snakes, lots of snakes, including a 12-foot Burmese Python. Kathy’s Critters appeared on several news and television programs and my animals were featured in videos, ads, and movies, with me as the on-set animal wrangler. I retired from Kathy’s Critters after 35 years of educating and entertaining the public, donating most of my animals to Cal Poly Pomona and some to another group which also uses animals for educational purposes.
My volunteer jobs reflect this same love of instructing children, caring for animals, and giving back to society. One of my past volunteer positions included animal care for the Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur and the complete installation of native plants in the landscape for the Center when it first opened.
Currently, I work as a docent/teacher for Madrona Marsh in Torrance. I am a member of the City of Manhattan Beach Fire Department CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) which requires continuously updated CPR/First Aid/AED certification and includes various emergency exercises and training throughout the year. I also volunteer here, at the Therapeutic Riding Center of Huntington Beach which provides equine-assisted activities and therapies for people with physical or learning challenges.
My favorite love, though, is my family: My husband, Paul, daughter Alexandra, son Robert and eight wonderful grandchildren, five of whom are already adults!