Millgard celebrates 103rd birthday at Project Chimps

Frances Millgard celebrated an extraordinary milestone in an extraordinary place.

Frances, a resident of Young Harris, Ga., spent her 103rd birthday getting her first up close and personal look at chimpanzees during a tour of the Project Chimps sanctuary on March 7. She and her son, Jack, were given a guided tour around the forested habitat, stopping to view chimps at observation windows.

Frances received a lot of attention from Harriett, a 17-year-old female resident of the sanctuary, and Oscar, a 10-year-old male. Both chimps appeared as intrigued by Frances as she was by them.

“I think they’re so cute and they’re smart, too!” Frances said. “This was really something. I never dreamed I’d visit a chimp sanctuary.”

The Millgards sat down with a small group of employees and volunteers to enjoy a piece of her special birthday cake following their tour. Frances also received a Project Chimps calendar as a gift, featuring photos of some familiar faces from her tour, including Oscar.

The Millgards have lived in Young Harris since 2008. Frances Millgard was born in 1918 in Colorado and has also lived in Michigan, California and Oregon. She moved to North Georgia to have a view of the mountains. She learned about the sanctuary from Project Chimps volunteer Jill Nielsen, who is a nurse practitioner at Blairsville Internal Medicine. The two have known each other for more than 13 years.

Frances was one of the first residents in the area to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, which was administered by Nielsen.

“I have Project Chimps calendars in my exam rooms and we started talking about the sanctuary during one visit,” Jill said. “Over the years, she would come in inquiring about the sanctuary, so I would share stories with her about our unique chimpanzees and their personalities. When I realized we had a shared passion for animals, we decided this was the perfect way to celebrate her 103rd birthday.”

Good genes appear to run in Frances’ family. She had two sisters who lived into their 90s and a brother currently in his 90s. She attributes her good cognitive health to lots of reading.

“Who would’ve thought I’d live to be 103?” Frances asked. “Now I’m working on 104!”

Would you like to visit our sanctuary? Learn more about our group tours. We also host a variety of special events.