David Barnes
I am so sad to see that Orson passed away. About 2 years ago I tried to find Orson to go and visit with him. I worked for him at Salt Lake Aquarium in the mid 1980s when I was 13 and 14 years old. He was kind and trusting to let us young kids run the store. He was always talking and had so much to say. He was entertaining to listen to and it was fun to hear him tell the same stories over and over and the same jokes over and over to different customers. He worked hard and loved the fish. I learned a lot about hard work and business from him at a young age. He had a pistol under the counter (that I don't think ever was used?!) and at night, we would put the money into a bank bag and then place it in the freezer behind the counter where he kept the frozen brine shrimp. Orson would often keep empty fish tanks and other items on display outside the stoor on the sidewalk while we were open. One night I closed the store on my own, locked the door, and walked past all the tanks outside and totally forgot to move them in. The police called Orson in the middle of the night to tell him the tanks were still out and he had to go and put them away. I thought he would fire me for sure, but he didn't. I would work after school 2 or so days a week from 3pm to 7pm (I think) and then I would work some Saturdays too. He paid me about $2 an hour I think. That $8 I would take home at night was nice to have!
I will miss Orson. I hope his family is doing well. I wish I could reach out to them to share some of my memories of their dad when he was in his mid 40s.
Dave Barnes
