Time Capsule Surprise

Last night, I was at the “Who Gets the Last Word?” lecture with Dr. Mary Pat Wenderoth. While her lecture to the senior class that had voted her as its favorite professor was fantastically funny and even a little risqué, it was likely no match for what happened at the Department of Communication event, where they opened a time capsule from 1957.

A nude centerfold. Condoms. Underwear. All pranks from some students who broke into the time capsule back in the late ’70s or early ’80s (estimated, I understand, from the date on the Playboy Magazine placed amongst the true artifacts). I hear the 1957 alumni who had packed the original capsule – septuagenarians by now - were good-natured at these finds. After a few gasps, I hear the crowd was too.

I tend to think college pranks are really, really funny. While I wish the pranksters’ items weren’t X-rated, I find myself laughing when I try to picture the preparation and the execution decades ago. How did these students break into the box? Was it pre-planned or spontaneous? Had they gone to the Duchess beforehand?

And I wonder: Did any of the culprits read the Seattle PI article this morning? Did they spit out their morning coffee once they saw the article? Maybe they had forgotten about their shenanigans until just that minute. Maybe they felt badly once they saw the older folks who found their naughty surprises. Maybe they still thought it was pretty darned funny.

We’ll probably never find out. But I’ll bet this year’s time capsule, which the Communication department plans to conceal for another 50 years, will be tamper-proof. In a way, I hope it isn’t. But let’s keep the hijinks a bit more appropriate this time.

-- Courtney