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Ruth Beck was a Biology Professor Emeritus of the College of William and Mary and she was also the Observatory's Songbird Team Leader and Vice-president. She passed away in May 2015. Ruth worked tirelessly over 40 years with particular emphasis on conservation efforts at three waterbird sites in coastal Virginia: Grandview Beach and Hampton Roads Bridge-tunnel in Hampton and Craney Island in Portsmouth. Her long-standing work had positive impacts on populations of Least Terns, Common Terns, Royal Terns, Black Skimmers, Black-necked Stilts and others. This Honorary Fund was established to help carry on Ruth's passion for protecting birds through continued conservation activities.

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Joy Archer, of Williamsburg, was a long-time friend and supporter of the Observatory. She passed away in 2002, but she remembered the Observatory in her will. As a result of her generosity, the Observatory established a special fund in her honor, to help with a wide variety of field research and public education programs. The Joy Archer Graduate Student Grant was also created to support wildlife studies and grant recipients so far have studied Peregrine Falcons, American Black Ducks, Ospreys, Eastern Bluebirds, and Rusty Blackbirds.

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The Bill Akers Environmental Education Fund was established to honor a founding Board member of the Observatory and long-time Observatory supporter. Bill has a master's degree in Ornithology from the College of William and Mary and has been active in birding in many ways on Virginia's barrier islands, throughout Virginia, in Costa Rica and elsewhere. Bill lives in Blacksburg. Money from the Fund is used to help produce the Observatory's educational materials.

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