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Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Eric Neher carefully unrolls a faded, muddy photograph that he and his classmates buried 26 years ago. His former classmate Liz Parker is in the background. In spite of the disappointment of the leaking time capsule, a good time was had by all.
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Capsule's contents soggy, but memories still strong
By Leigh Ann Maze
When Raf Strudley's fifth-grade class at Lexington School buried a year 2000 time capsule in March, 1974, Strudley had no idea he would be principal of the school when it was finally unearthed.
The capsule, made from aluminum gutters wrapped in duct tape and encased in cement, was uncovered on March 4. Unfortunately, water and mud had seeped into the capsule during its 26 years in the ground, destroying many of the writings and artifacts Strudley's students had sealed inside.
A Bic pen and a still-working glue stick were inside the capsule, new products of the day. Strudley is having a muddied tape recording cleaned in hopes of hearing what is on it. "Nobody can remember what we put on there," he said. "It might be music by the children, popular songs or predictions."
About 30 of Strudley's 1974 class members and their families, traveled back to Lexington School for the unearthing. Some, like Nick Raby and Julie Randazzo, still live in the area. Others came from Livermore, Aptos, Half Moon Bay and Merced.
"Most of them didn't care much about the capsule," Strudley said. "They wanted to re-acquaint themselves."
The tradition that Strudley's class started was carried on at a March 3 ceremony as the current Lexington students buried their own time capsule. Each class made a contribution to the PVC pipe capsule slated to be unearthed in 2025. One class contributed a mirror and a class picture, so students can see how much they changed in 25 years. Another class put in a bagel, as a science experiment.
The new capsule went into the same hole the old one came out of. "We've started a 50-year tradition," Strudley said. "And I plan on being back here when they unearth it."
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
