UA Little Rock Receives Gift to Support Long-Term Success of Planetarium
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock continues to build support for the future of its Shellam Flake Planetarium, with a new $50,000 gift focused on sustaining the facility for years to come.
The gift from UA Little Rock alumnus and retired attorney James Bruce McMath and his wife, Becky, contributes to the Shellam Flake Planetarium Endowment Fund.
As UA Little Rock prepares to reopen the planetarium this fall, the endowment ensures the facility has the long-term support needed for operations, programming, and staffing, positioning it as a lasting destination for students and the community.
For McMath, the investment is deeply personal, rooted in a lifelong fascination with the night sky.
“I am a space race baby,” McMath said. “I was eight when Sputnik launched, and I followed it with the same enthusiasm as some people follow a sports team.”
That early curiosity grew into a serious pursuit. What began as a telescope for his son turned into a lifelong passion, including building telescope mirrors and conducting amateur research. Today, McMath operates a robotic telescope and has contributed more than 130,000 observations of variable stars to an international database.
He sees the planetarium as a way to share that sense of discovery with others, especially at a time when fewer people have experienced the night sky in its full form.
“The reality is, without question, the greatest natural spectacle is the Milky Way stretching across the night sky,” he said. “But these days, few people have ever truly seen it.”
A planetarium, he said, can help bridge that gap by giving people a broader understanding of the universe and their place within it.
“A planetarium can open people’s eyes and minds to the reality of our situation here on our little planet,” McMath said.
Supporting the endowment is also a way for McMath to give back to UA Little Rock.
“UA Little Rock was an important element in my personal development, and I have not done much to pay it back,” he said.
He also sees the planetarium as a key connection point between the university and the city.
“The planetarium will be an ambassadorial and educational tool for the university,” McMath said. “It is an investment in the community that will build pride in the university among city residents and help people better understand our place in the universe.”
Their support helps position the planetarium as a long-term asset for both the university and Central Arkansas.
Learn more about the Shellam Flake Planetarium at ualr.edu/planetarium