The dapper Mr. Gleiber in whiskers and furry ears at a "Party for the Animals" held in the Stevens' garden.

There is a Washington legend that everything of importance that happens in this town takes place at dinner parties. John Gleiber heartily concurs. A chance remark made by his dinner partner, Christine Stevens, late Animal Welfare Institute president and founder, at the home of Society for Animal Protective Legislation Board Member Ceci Carusi, led to an invitation to tea the next day where Mrs. Stevens offered him a job. That was in 1975 and led to more than 25 years, which John thinks of as the happiest and most rewarding of his life. He began by sealing envelopes (the oldest mail room employee on the East Coast), which led to twin posts, Assistant to the Officers of AWI and Executive Secretary (later Secretary) of SAPL. He was part of an explosive growth in staff, program and financing and witnessed many epochal decisions and accomplishments. Recently retired, he is serving on the AWI/SAPL Board and is watching a new generation of dedicated staff members carry out Christine Stevens' mandate to save animals everywhere.