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RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) — Eastern Kentucky University officials have opened a more than half-century-old time capsule whose discovery on campus came as a surprise.
The copper box, manufactured by students on campus, was buried in 1961 by former university President Robert Martin in the cornerstone of the hall that bore his name, the Richmond Register (bit.ly/1WjCeu8) reported. A crowd of EKU students, staff and faculty attended the box's opening this past week.
Copies of newspapers along with a course catalog, magazines and a large collection of photographs were pulled from the time capsule by EKU President Michael Benson and campus student body President Katie Scott.
Benson said the time capsule served as a reminder of how far the university has come in more than 50 years. A 1962 admissions brochure for "Eastern State College," as EKU had not yet become a university, boasted that the college had awarded more than 400 degrees to students.
"We now average 2,000 degrees awarded every semester," Benson told the crowd.
While reading over several headlines in newspapers stashed away in the time capsule, Benson acknowledged how his predecessors dealt with some of the same issues that plague the university today.
"The headlines are the same," he said. "Some of the same issues they faced on campus back in 1961 are the same we face today: challenging state budgets and international conflict."
School officials say the time capsule's discovery came as a surprise. A similar box was found during the demolition of Combs Hall, but because the university was unaware of its presence, the box and contents were damaged.
Benson said that after the Combs Hall incident, the university asked contractors to take special care when razing other campus buildings.
"We are going to look behind every cornerstone from now on," he said.
Benson said the university will follow in Martin's footsteps by including a time capsule in the new dormitory that will replace Martin Hall. Benton said the new hall, which will also be named Martin Hall, is scheduled to be completed in 2017.
Benson said he plans to poll students about what to include in the new time capsule.
"My hope is to include some additional items that will show our predecessors some of the technology we have today," he said. "Perhaps we will put some music on an iPod or include some other media. Hopefully, in another 50 years they will not have changed electricity that much so that they can still play it."
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Information from: Richmond Register, http://www.richmondregister.com
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