James Edward "Ed" Dooley was the founding director of both the FMU Planetarium and the FMU Observatory. He ran both of these facilities with passion and vision until his untimely passing on April 4, 2000.

The FMU Board of Directors voted to honor the memory of Ed Dooley by officially renaming the planetarium. On October 25, 2000, the Planetarium was renamed the Dooley Planetarium.

Ed was a member of the faculty of the Department of Chemistry and Physics since the founding of Francis Marion College in 1970. He was a member of the faculty of the University of South Carolina from 1968 - 1970. He received the Master of Science degree in chemistry at the University of South Carolina.

During his many years at Francis Marion University he was an Associate Professor of Chemistry, Director of the Planetarium and Observatory, and Coordinator of the Astronomy program. He constantly strived to improve his teaching through the incorporation of the latest technological developments. He was the principal author of the locally prepared laboratory manual for Organic Chemistry. He also developed a set of computer programs for use by General Chemistry laboratory students.

In 1994, he received the Wellman Industries - WBTW Golden Apple Award for Teaching Excellence. He was the first college teacher to receive the Golden Apple Award.

In addition to teaching he was also seen on television hosting Sky Watch which was produced in the planetarium with Ross Fleming. He prepared and presented private shows for school groups and organizations and presented public shows two Sundays per month. The total number of people reached through his outreach service activities exceeds 100,000, and contributed immeasurably to public education and awareness. Ed composed scripts and visuals for the programs, as well as the detailed up-to-date bi-monthly newsletter SkyNotes.

At the Observatory built in 1982, Ed held viewing sessions for both his students and the general public. Many people saw Halley's Comet at its return in 1986, as well as become more intimately acquainted with the planets during visits to the Observatory. He was presented a key to the City of Florence in 1987 for providing public access to the Francis Marion University Observatory for the viewing of Halley's Comet.

Ed was a member of the American Chemical Society, South Carolina Academy of Science, International Planetarium Society, International Dark Sky Association, and Phi Kappa Phi. He was a member of the Highland Park United Methodist Church. He also worked with the Florence Cub Scouts for 9 years. Through his exemplary record of teaching, research and creative activities, and professional and public service activities it can be said, Mr. Dooley was a true scholar.