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Celestial Gala Honored Jim and Linda Lee, Celebrated Planetarium

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“It was a really nice event, a great evening,” said Bobinsky.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott celebrated the five-year anniversary of the Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium while honoring ERAU patrons, the Lees, at a Spring Celestial Gala that raised more than $70,000 to support the facility and STEM programming.

The Lees have been strong contributors to the success of the Quad Cities area for decades in a number of ways through charitable donations and business endeavors. They have donated to many community organizations and have impacted the area’s economic growth through upscale residential and commercial developments. The Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium, the only Arizona planetarium north of Phoenix, is one of their most visible contributions.

“The Planetarium has created a wonderful venue to bring not only our own students, but also high school, middle school and elementary students here to see what a STEM education can provide,” said ERAU Executive Director of Philanthropy Steve Bobinsky. “It also encourages Quad Cities residents to venture onto our campus, engage with faculty and students and see that we’re not just a flight school. We also offer incredible STEM-related majors such as aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, cybersecurity, gaming and simulation.”

A live auction at the gala offered bidders unique opportunities such as a private event in the planetarium for 100 guests; a 60-minute flight in an ERAU Cessna 172S NAV III aircraft; a European culinary tour for eight people at the home of ERAU Chancellor Dr. Anette Karlsson and her husband, Dr. Rick Lehman, compliments of chef and restaurateur Barry Barbe; and a four-day live-flight experience for a parent and student.

Bobinsky said $33,000 was raised through the live auction and an additional $40,000 gift was received to support the expansion of the planetarium’s show catalog and technological capabilities provided for the public as well as STEM outreach educational opportunities.

More than 100 people attended the gala and were treated to an evening of images and discovery from the James Webb Space Telescope, set to a London Symphony Orchestra recording of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, created by Planetarium Director Eric Edelman.

“It was a really nice event, a great evening,” said Bobinsky. QCBN

By Bonnie Stevens, QCBN

Courtesy Photo: ERAU President Dr. P. Barry Butler and ERAU Prescott Chancellor Dr. Anette Karlsson honored Jim and Linda Lee (center) and thanked them for their involvement with the planetarium. 

Planetarium—ERAU Thanks Philanthropists

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In the past few months, the Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium atop the STEM Center (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) on the west edge of the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott campus has become a destination, not just an attraction, for visitors to the Prescott area.

More than 15,000 visitors from throughout the United States and several foreign countries have toured or participated in educational programs at the planetarium, said Planetarium Director Eric Edelman.

Edelman recently announced that new educational programs called “Prescott Summer Night Sky” were being offered free to the public throughout Central and Northern Arizona. The domed facility will seat 116 persons in a 360-degree configuration.

Special invitations have been issued to high school and middle school students interested in STEM education.

Andy Fraher, director of STEM Outreach, explained that staff members from Education USA offices from U.S. Embassies around the world recently toured the campus so they could speak with knowledge to international students about ERAU facilities.

Virtually everyone at ERAU acknowledges that none of this would have happened had it not been for the support of Jim and Linda Lee, longtime Prescott residents known widely for their philanthropic generosity.

Originally from Texas but residents of Arizona for several decades, the Lees initially were instrumental in developing the Prescott Gateway Mall and The Ranch residential area on the eastern edge of the city. Jim Lee also sits on a steering committee and the board of visitors for ERAU.

The Lees are generous contributors to music and performing arts throughout the community, too, including the Prescott POPS Symphony and the Yavapai Symphony Association.

Lee is outspoken in his support of the university. “The future of Prescott cannot be separated from the future of ERAU.”

EERAU Chancellor Frank Ayers and his wife, Debbie, express appreciation to Jim and Linda Lee for their generous support of the STEM Center. Atop the new building is a domed planetarium named in honor of the Lees. It can seat 116 people in a 360-degree environment.  (Photo by Ray Newton)

ERAU Chancellor Dr. Frank Ayers has publically expressed gratitude to the Lees. He recently said, “The Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium will be both an Embry-Riddle and community treasure. It helps open a pathway to STEM education for so many young people. It also brings the community together to learn about our universe, our planet and the sciences in a fun and meaningful way. I can’t say enough about how we appreciate the support of Jim and Linda. Over the years, they have given of their time, talent and treasure for our great scholar athletes, the campus Board of Visitors and now, the planetarium.”

ERAU Executive Director of Philanthropy Steve Bobinsky also praised the Lees. “Jim and Linda Lee contributed a significant gift when the STEM Center was in its planning stages. Because of their generosity – that first gift to the STEM Center Capital Campaign – the university was able to leverage their gift into a much larger community, state and national investment.

Bobinsky continued, “Their additional support made it possible to create a community attraction, the planetarium, that will carry their name and will inspire and educate generations of students not just in the quad city area but far beyond.” QCBN

 

For more information about the planetarium, email EDELMAN@erau.edu or frehera@erau.edu

 

By Ray Newton

Planetarium Offering Free Shows

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Ever step out and marvel at the crisp night sky we enjoy in central Arizona? Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is offering programs to help us learn more about what we are seeing.

Free shows are being cited as premier productions to introduce the Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium to Central and Northern Arizona. Eric Edelman and Andrew Fraher, ERAU staff who help coordinate the programs, report requests for free tickets have resulted in full capacity crowds for every show so far.

The 116-seat planetarium – the only facility of its kind in Arizona north of Phoenix – is configured so that visitors see the projected cosmos in 360-degree, 4 K resolution. The 30-minute shows explore various constellations, planets and other deep sky objects that sometimes are visible from the Quad Cities area. Experts from the local astronomy club also will discuss what makes the night sky unique in this region.

The program, “Romance Among the Stars,” will launch on Feb. 16. Organizers plan to debut a new show every month through the first six months of 2018.

Explaining the opening of the planetarium to visitors, ERAU Chancellor Frank Ayers said, “From the beginning, we view the planetarium as a Prescott resource. We want it to offer educational and entertaining content to our neighbors. This just another way ERAU can contribute to our community and to Arizona.”

The technologically sophisticated domed facility is located on the second floor of the recently dedicated STEM Education Center on the campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, near the west-central edge of campus.

To reserve tickets to the free programs, go to pre.erau.edu/about/jim-and-linda-lee:planetarium/upcomoing presentations. Attendees are encouraged to arrive at least 10 minutes before showtime. QCBN

 

By Ray Newton, QCBN

Photo captions:

#1        Crowds frequently gather outside the Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium located in the STEM Education Center.

Photo by Ray Newton