Museum announced plans to merge with the McDonnell Planetarium. 
And, after much discussion, the Commissioners proposed to acquire 
property at 5050 Oakland Avenue across Highway 40 from the 
planetarium building in Forest Park. This property included the former 
headquarters building of the Falstaff Company, which would be 
transformed into the new St. Louis Science Center. The two facilities 
would be connected in a way to create, in the words of the planners, 
**a strong synergism.’’ Moreover, the marriage of the two would ‘‘im- 
prove attendance at both . . . allow for joint management, and... . 
offer cooperative programs and projects.’’!> Funding for the operations 
of this new science center came in 1983 when the people of the City and 
County of St. Louis voted an increase in support from 1 cent per $100 
to 4 cents per $100 of assessed valuation of their property. 
The Academy’s involvement in supporting the Museum of Science 
and Natural History’s plans and programs demonstrated the Academy’s 
continuing commitment to helping such institutions. In1984 Dr. Peter 
Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden and an honorary 
member of the Academy Board, helped design an Academy-sponsored 
fellowship program. The goals of the ‘‘Founding Fellows’’ program 
are to serve as a binding force for science organizations in St. Louis; 
to recognize professional accomplishment; and to promote public in- 
terest and understanding of science and technology, especially as they 
relate to the public welfare. '6 
Also in 1984, the Museum of Science and Natural History adopted 
a new name—the ‘‘St. Louis Science Center.’? The McDonnell 
Planetarium was acquired from the city, and the renovation and reopen- 
ing of the planetarium building as the first phase of the expansion became 
a high priority. The buildings at Oak Knoll Park remained open, 
however. 
1 +. 
In 1985, the y ium building reopened as the new 
St. Louis Science Center featuring a renovated Star Theater, many par- 
ticipatory exhibits, and new education programs. 
During the next two years, The Academy of Science supported 
several Science Center programs and activities, including a science 
teacher intern program and a chemistry demonstration show. It also 
subsidized a new permanent exhibit on earthquakes and a temporary 
exhibit on genetic engineering. These activities represented a partial, 
but substantial, manifestation of the roles the Academy outlined for itself 
in 1984. 
1 1986 the first stage for the second phase of the Science Center 
expansion—the development of the rest of the institution on the 
designated expansion site at 5050 Oakland Avenue—was completed when 
that property was purchased. At the end of the year, the buildings at 
70 
