Announcing a New Endowment for the Duke Lemur Center: The Barbara Colyear Parkening Lemur Care Fund

Originally published by the Duke Lemur Center.

Since she was a small child, she not only adored animals, she was fascinated by wildlife. As a young adult, she was the youngest in a group of seven zookeepers at the Los Angeles Zoo and helped with primates, including a Bornean orangutan named Eloise, who is still alive today. She later became known for her willingness to take in wild animals and even now, she cares for rescued dogs, other animals, and horses.

The story of how Barbara became connected to the Duke Lemur Center began many years ago, when a friend told her about a really unusual animal whose owner who no longer wanted the responsibility of caring for it. After seeing the animal, a common brown lemur, Barbara decided that she had to help it. Initially knowing nothing about how to care for a lemur, she did her research to provide the best care possible for the animal.

“It is obvious these animals do not make good ‘pets’ – not at all! They are wild animals. Yet, I was committed to doing what I could to help this special creature, and so I did the best I could,” explained Barbara. She did her research and essentially created a space as close to one that a zoo could provide for the lemur, who she named Forrest. “It’s in memory of Forrest that I’m making this special gift of my lifetime to the Duke Lemur Center.”

After Barbara learned about the Duke Lemur Center and developed a deeper understanding of lemurs through her work with Forrest, she visited the center and was very impressed with the animal care and vet staff. “They didn’t judge me, they were so understanding and kind to me, and everyone I met was so passionate and happy to talk with me about their work to protect these very special creatures. I never forgot that,” she explained. She began to make donations to the DLC in 2005 with a gift to the Adopt a Lemur program, and has been a loyal donor ever since.

At the end of 2019, Barbara and her financial advisor worked with us to customize an endowment agreement to support the Duke Lemur Center’s care of its colony. The agreement was formally signed and submitted and the gift to establish the Barbara Colyear Parkening Fund for Lemur Care was received. So, in the coming year, the fund will make its first payment toward its purpose. And it will continue to support lemur care in perpetuity. In addition, Barbara has formally made plans to provide a substantial gift to her endowment from her estate upon her death.

“We’re so grateful to Barbara for this incredibly generous gift to support our lemurs’ care for the long term.” said Greg Dye, Duke Lemur Center Executive Director.

While the Duke Lemur Center benefits in many ways as a part of the great Duke University in Durham, NC, the support we receive from donors is very important to us. Annual contributions from individuals and businesses, special gifts to support unique priority needs, and legacy and endowment gifts make a tremendous impact on our ability to carry out our mission.

Barbara’s twin sister, Diane, had this to say about Barbara: “I am so proud of my twin sister for making such a generous donation to the Duke Lemur Center. From the time we were little, Barbara was always rescuing stray animals and bringing them home – much to our mother’s dismay. We grew up with hamsters, dogs, rats, horses, and one of my favorites was a raccoon named Bandit. He slept during the day in his kennel and roamed free at night. He would climb the tree next to Barbara’s window and come in to wreak havoc in all of our rooms. He was a joy to live with for at least three years before he wandered off. Barbara never says no to anyone asking for help with an animal. She is a very special person and sister.”