Nellie’s passion for animals, admiration for the incredible Denver Zoo staff, and unwavering support of the Zoo, demonstrated to each of us the importance of community service. One of my greatest joys was serving on the Denver Zoo Board with her for over 18 years and having the opportunity to spend so much time at the zoo.
Ever since I was little girl, Denver Zoo has been part of my life. My mother’s work as a volunteer, board member and zoo supporter was very inspiring to me. She was editor of the quarterly newsletter, “The Zoo Review”, the annual Zoo calendar, and the Zoo’s annual reports. I remember sitting in the zoo dark room looking at photos with her as she chose the perfect ones for these publications. Sometimes I would come home from school to find our dining room table covered with page mock-ups as she read, edited, and marked the copy and photos. She loved spending hours at the zoo speaking with the zookeepers, photographing, and learning about every animal in the collection.
My mom has a deep and authentic love for animals. Over many years of zoo trips with her and hearing about her travels to Africa with the zoo staff we learned to love, value and protect animals too. She influenced my choice to become a biologist and encouraged me to serve on the Zoo Board furthering my interest in animal conservation. Over the last 50 years, our entire extended family has spent countless hours enjoying all aspects of the Denver Zoo.
Nellie has the distinguished honor to have been named a Denver Zoo Honorary Life Trustee. This amazing group of leaders worked tirelessly to build the foundation for what has become the world-class Zoo that we all enjoy today. The other Honorary Life Trustees are Bruce D. Benson, William Kistler, John C North, Eddie Robinson, Rollin D. Barnard, Robert D Bonham, Robert P. Davison, Clayton F Freiheit, Marybelle Grant, Roth M Keesling, Brian W. Klepinger, Gene N Koelbel, James B. Kurtz, Dr. Conrad M Riley, Dr. Robert B. Sawyer and Charles L. Warren.