Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the August 2, 2022 flipbook.

While working on his dissertation last year, predoctoral fellow Theo Milonopoulos found himself visiting UT’s iconic Turtle Pond every day, leaving the Clements Center for short breaks with his reptilian friends. The daily visit quickly became a running joke amongst friends, said recent history Ph.D. graduate Augusta Dell’Omo. 

“It became his time away from the dissertation, but it just became a running joke amongst our friends that Theo was always (at) Turtle Pond and that he was really, really connected to the turtles,” Dell’Omo said. “I think one time he tried to rescue one that had wandered too far from the turtle pond.”

Dell’Omo’s donation to the Turtle Pond through HornRaiser last month allowed her to name one of the creatures after her turtle-saving friend as a way to congratulate him on his new job as an assistant professor in national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College. From this day forward, the turtle would don its new name: Theo Milonopoulos.

Over 600 other donors received the same certificate to name a turtle in the pond — symbolically, of course, as the turtle population amounts to a fraction of that. The fundraiser, which only ran through July, raised over $37,000 in funds for Turtle Pond’s maintenance.

Donation amounts ranged from $5 to hundreds, which will also further the pond’s educational use for visitors and biology classes.

The ecosystem, originally named the UT botanical ponds, was built in 1934 alongside the construction of the Tower. Eight years ago, the pond was home to 40 turtles, The Daily Texan previously reported. Today, over 100 live in the miniature ecosystem, the majority of which are native red-eared sliders. The growing number can be attributed to people bringing new turtles to the pond.

Breanna Ellis, who graduated last year with a degree in biology, said she had never thought to donate to UT. The creative idea of naming a turtle for one of her favorite places on campus convinced her to donate $5 to name a turtle after herself, she said.

“I know I’m not naming like a real turtle, I know it’s symbolic,” Ellis said. “I really liked that it goes towards CNS because I studied biology at the College of Natural Sciences, so I was really excited to donate. My friends and I did intramural ultimate frisbee and we would practice right next to the turtle pond.”