When Mary Mapes visited Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment on Friday, May 3, she thought she would be listening to her husband, Tim, participate in a panel discussion. Instead, she was greeted on the Grainger Hall rooftop with champagne and hugs from her family.
Mary, an avid environmentalist who serves on the board of the Jane Goodall Institute, was admitted to the Nicholas School in 2019. However, the COVID-19 outbreak put a stop to her plans to attend.
In honor of her upcoming birthday, Tim, who is Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for Delta Air Lines, had made a surprise gift to establish the Mary Bowman Mapes Environmental Fellowship Fund. The fund is designed to “pay it forward” to other aspiring students who feel as strongly about the environment as Mary does.
“I’ve had the privilege of having a front row seat to Mary’s work to protect the planet for the 30 years we’ve been together,” he said. “She gives and has given so much to so many, I wanted to create a lasting legacy for her that would also help those at Duke following in her footsteps.”
Learning about the fellowship, Mary said, was a complete surprise and total honor.
“That my entire family traveled to Durham to be present when my husband, sister, and Dean Bennear all spoke on the beautiful rooftop of the Nicholas School provided lifetime memories,” she said. “As an active environmentalist, I am humbled to be in a position to help future generations of conservationists protect our planet.”
During the event, Tim recounted how Mary traveled to National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., in 1999 for a meeting with Jane Goodall, a global icon for environmental and wildlife conservation. Their sons Ben and Evan, who are both Duke graduates and were present to honor their mother, were just three years old and a newborn at the time.
“You came away from your time with Jane more committed than ever to saving our planet for our kids and future generations,” Tim said to Mary in his speech.
Mary went on to start a chapter of Roots & Shoots at her children’s school, Warren T. Jackson Elementary School in Atlanta. Goodall founded Roots & Shoots in 1991 to empower young people to effect positive change in their communities. The organization has chapters in more than 140 countries, with over 150,000 kids participating around the world.
Mary’s chapter thrived, and Goodall personally visited Jackson Elementary in 2010. Impressed by Mary’s leadership, Goodall encouraged her to join the Jane Goodall Institute. Mary joined the board in 2012 and is still a member today.
“This is a testament to your life’s work,” said Lori Bennear, Stanback Dean of the Nicholas School, during her toast to Mary. “This endowment will provide financial support to graduate students, empowering them to pursue their studies and make a lasting impact on the environment. It will also ensure that your legacy continues to thrive, nurturing the next generation of environmental leaders.”
Mary and her sister, Lillian, who also spoke during the event, grew up in the small town of Mathews, Va., on the Chesapeake Bay. At the age of 10, Lillian said, Mary befriended an elderly neighbor who loved animals. Mary would retrieve abandoned kittens from under her neighbor’s porch and help nurse them back to health. She later started the first ecology club at her high school.
Lillian and her husband Mark, who are also animal savers, drove in from Elizabeth City, N.C., for the event. Lillian summed up her sister’s love for the environment with a poem by Margaret Wise Brown that they knew when they were children: “Dear Father, hear and bless thy beasts and singing birds, and guard with tenderness small things that have no words.”
