NEWS

U.S. Space Walk of Fame receives $100K donation

James Dean
FLORIDA TODAY

Having dedicated monuments to each of NASA's human spaceflight programs, including a shuttle monument last fall, a small Titusville nonprofit now aims to leverage space history to teach kids about science and engineering.

The U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum's education initiative received a major boost this week, with a $100,000 donation and promise to match donations over the next year totaling up to that amount.

Longtime benefactor and Titusville resident Joseph Williams, a contractor on the early manned space programs through Skylab, said he supports the education goals and believes the museum deserves a higher profile.

"We need to support it because it's part of our history, and the history is something I'm very proud of," said Williams, 78. "A lot of people don't realize it's there. But I think it's going to grow."

Williams, who after his space career owned Titusville-area bars and restaurants, including The Blue Room, presented the big check Thursday during a fundraiser in Suntree attended by 11 astronauts.

He then surprised everyone by offering to match others' donations up to the same total, museum President Charlie Mars said.

"It has taken the pressure off, so we can pay more attention to our education program," Mars said. "We will expand what we're doing now."

The museum created "STEM Saturdays," a monthly program for roughly 20 kids ages 8 to 13 focused on science, technology, engineering and math lessons with space themes.

The classes cost $25, or $80 for four. Examples include "Living in Space: International Space Station" and "Map and Analyze Rocket Trajectories."

The museum is run by the U.S. Space Walk of Fame Foundation, which the city of Titusville created in 1992 to provide the space program monuments now on display at Space View Park.

It moved last May into a 6,000-square-foot building at 308 Pine St., a facility almost three times bigger than the old house it previously occupied on Main Street.

"We've moved to a location that now affords us the credibility for our aspirations," said Karan Conklin, the museum's chief of staff. "We're going places, we're doing great things, and we've got people who are believing in us, and it's just taking off."

Firing room consoles from Launch Complex 36 and the shuttle Launch Control Center are among the hands-on exhibits that astronauts, space workers, NASA and its contractors have donated.

There's also a room of memorabilia donated by Williams, who estimates his total contributions over the years to be worth about $300,000.

This week's check represents about half the museum's annual operating budget, said Mars, which includes two paid staff, insurance, utilities and purchases of gift shop merchandise.

Williams sees the monuments, engraved with many local space workers' names, and the museum providing a more local and personal record of the community's space program history than NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

He wants to see the museum achieve more stable financial footing and ultimately take its place alongside the Visitor Complex and other Central Florida attractions as a must-see stop for international tourists.

"I just foresee some day a big, beautiful museum in Titusville, Florida, that will be self-sustaining," he said.

He hopes his matching gift challenge will motivate more people to back the museum's educational mission.

Conklin said Williams' gifts will allow the museum to focus more on that mission.

"We're not paycheck-to-paycheck. We have a little breathing room," she said. "It doesn't mean we're going to stop or slack, but it just raises the bar on the things that we can do."

Contact Dean at 321-242-3668 or jdean@floridatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter at @flatoday_jdean

HOW TO DONATEe

To donate to the U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum, visit www.spacewalkoffame.com or send a check payable to the museum to its address at 308 Pine St., Titusville, FL 32796. Titusville resident Joe Williams will match donations over the next year up to a total of $100,000.