The Atlanta Zoo was a decrepit facility with harsh conditions for a sparse animal population before University of the Pacific graduate Terry Maple ’68 arrived with visionary plans in 1984.

Maple, only 38 at the time, was appointed by Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young as interim director of the zoo, which was rated one of the 10 worst in the country by Parade Magazine.

By the time Maple retired from the re-branded Zoo Atlanta in 2003, the facility was a model praised by peers and the public.

Maple died at his retirement home in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, on Dec. 3. He was 77.

“He transformed the troubled zoo into a model institution and financially sound cultural attraction,” President Christopher Callahan said during a 2021 Leading Voices conversation with Maple. “He turned Zoo Atlanta around in the most extraordinary way.”

Maple’s career began to take shape at Pacific, where he earned a bachelor's degree in psychology. Maple was a standout third baseman and he and his teammates from the 1968 team were inducted into the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame.

“He was my first RA and I was a freshman baseball player when he was a senior on the team,” said Roger Nadel ’71. “We both were psychology majors and I learned so much from him. He was a tremendous role model.”

Nadel said he “followed Terry’s career with considerable awe. The accomplishments he had in his field were so very impressive.”

Maple received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Pacific Alumni Association in 1988.

Maple helped transform Florida zoos in Jacksonville and West Palm Beach, but he was best known for his transformative work in Atlanta. While there, he also cared for many primates and earned praise for his research on gorillas. He wrote more than a dozen books on primates.

Maple helped Zoo Atlanta become the first zoo to combine conservation and education in one department. The result was the world-class animal behavior research program that houses and supports the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.

Tributes have streamed in since Maple’s passing.

“The world is a little dimmer with the loss of a true icon,” said Bonnie Perdue, associate professor of psychology at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. “He was revolutionary in his thinking about animal behavior, conservation, animal welfare and wellness, and so much more.”

“Terry was a visionary and courageous trailblazer for zoos, particularly in terms of animal wellness,” said Grayson Ponti, education assistant manager at Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper, Utah.

Maple is survived by his wife Addie and daughters Molly Maple, Emily May Maple and Sally Fox Maple.

“This has been very difficult for all of us, but it truly is heartwarming to hear all of these tributes to my father,” Molly Maple said.

The family currently does not have services scheduled but may hold a celebration of life.