Our executive Director, Tom Lang, appeared on KMJ radio’s The Ray Appleton Show today to give an update on the Fresno Aquarium project and address the Fresno Chaffee Zoo’s plan to add an Aquarium building within the Zoo inside Roeding Park in about 10 years.

Betty Jane Jura, age 94, of Fresno, California passed away on Monday, August 22, 2022. Betty was born June 13, 1928 in Fort Madison, Iowa.

She and her husband Roy first donated 5, then 10 acres of their land to the Fresno Aquarium in 2006.

Betty Jane Wood married Roy Jura in 1950 and were farmers as they raised their children, Scott, Teri and Keith.

Aquarius Aquarium Institute Charter Members will always remember the fun Charter Member dinners on the front lawn of the Jura residence, just downstream from the Fresno Aquarium property and the enthusiastic support that Betty and Roy had for the Aquarium project from its very beginnings.

December 31, 2021 – Generous year-end donors succeeded in surpassing our 2021 goal of having 2,000 blocks with names on them!

There is a counter on this website that is updated every time someone puts their name on a concrete block and we’re very grateful to all the generous donors who are continuing to support this nonprofit project for the benefit of our entire Valley ever since our long-time friend Lynn Hock-Napoli put her name on the very first block…

January 12, 2020 – As 2019 was coming to a close, we had our eyes on a pending milestone. Would our donors push us over the $300,000 mark in our From the Ground Up Capital Campaign?

Thanks to year-end gifts from some very generous people, we are happy to report that we exceeded our goal!

August 31, 2019 – As donations both small and large come in, the nonprofit Aquarius Aquarium Institute is building the Fresno Aquarium to be not only our future home, but also to be a center of activity for the entire central San Joaquin Valley community.

Roy Richard Jura
JUNE 2, 1928 – SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

September 16, 2018 – It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of Roy Jura on September 5th, 2018. Along with his wife Betty and his three children, he made the decision to first donate five, then ten acres of the Jura family farmland along the San Joaquin River to Aquarius Aquarium Institute…