The first exhibits at the National Science Center were on the primitive side.

There was a video wall - made of a bunch of old television sets and an exhibit about sound featured plastic tubing used in swimming pool vacuum cleaning systems.

"We had prototyped exhibits and came up with concepts. We were amazed. We first opened a half-day on Wednesdays for visiting school groups to test out the exhibits. We kept getting requests from more schools wanting to visit," said Jim Frye, director of the National Science Center, which has been headquartered at Fort Discovery since 1997.

In its early days in the 1990s, the National Science Center had space in two former mess halls at Fort Gordon. Frye, who has been with the center since 1991 and is head of its Army affiliated side, retires on July 2.

When Frye arrived, the National Science Center had its offices in what is now the Alternate Escape Lounge, Building 25722. Another building, 29717, was the preview center.

On those Wednesdays when school groups would visit, the staff would close its administrative offices for a half day and don lab coats to become the science experts teaching students.

"We had homemade prototypes - what a concept. It all worked. It was a fun time. We got to really go through the scientific process," he said.

Frye said he'll never forget the day when the downtown space became open.

The two-story Port Royal shopping center next to a downtown condominium building had closed its retail operations leaving the space empty.

One morning, Frye and Lt. Col. Randy Peters, who was the science center director at the time, looked at the morning newspaper and a story about the sale of the mall.

"I said 'That would be a great place for the science center,'" said Frye. "One thing led to another, and he got the wheels in motion."

From that idea came a unique partnership between the private sector and the Army to develop the downtown science center.

Fort Discovery is not the only fruit of the National Science Center's labor.

Over the years, a variety of distance learning programs have been centered in the Augusta-Fort Gordon area. The mobile learning center began as one 18-wheeler traveling to different schools.

Now, there are two 18-wheelers that hit the road with Army personnel to teach science and math concepts. There are also live broadcasts and outreaches such as summer camps.

Frye said he will miss the team he has worked with over the years. They've become more like a family rather than a group of co-workers. he said.