This photograph of the class of 1900 officers, found in the box, put a human face on the time capsule.
This metal box
was contained within the wooden one left by the class of
1900. It was soldered shut and had to be pried open.
Time capsule
trustees Ruth Craig Morales '50 (left) and Cornelia Brown
Pomeroy '50 share a laugh while the capsule is being pried
open.
Perched uncomfortably on a
hard bench in Gettell Amphitheater--and chilled to the bone by the
New England March-evening air--it was hard to resist retreating into
the recesses of one's mind while awaiting the opening of the MHC
class of 1900 time capsule. The rawness of the elements, coupled with
the aura of suspense and mystery surrounding the small wooden box on
the amphitheater stage, provided bountiful fodder for the
imagination. It was a bit eerie. After
all, what was about to unfold had been envisioned and planned one
hundred years ago by women who had once trod on the same small patch
of earth where the audience was assembled. Although the orchestraters
of the event had been dead for years, they had still managed to set
the date (the year 2000), and the agenda (opening the box of
materials they had assembled), and to draw a crowd of more than 1,000
people--students, faculty, staff, alumnae, their families, and
members of the local and national press. Throughout the event, the
crowd was enthusiastic, high-spirited, and good-natured. Perhaps the women of the
class of 1900 enjoyed science fiction. Maybe they had even read H. G.
Wells's The Time Machine, published five years before they
graduated. In a letter written by Margaret E. Ball, MHC 1900, that
was included in the capsule and read at the event, she voices the
class's hope that, "if your science shall have taught you what some
believe will be one of the commonest elements of your knowledge--the
power of communication with the unseen world from which we may
possibly be overlooking your destiny--we beg you to reply to this
message of ours." Although members of the class
of 1900 did not physically travel to the future like the inventor of
Wells's time machine, their presence was certainly felt last Friday
in the year 2000. After remarks by Sara M.
Hines '00, president of the class of 2000; President Joanne
Creighton; Janet Hall '70, president of the Alumnae Association; Ruth
Craig Morales '50 and Cornelia Brown Pomeroy '50, trustees of the
time capsule; and Devin M. Dickerson '00, chair of the Time Capsule
Committee, the spirit, humor, intelligence, and forethought of the
members of the class of 1900 came to the forefront. From the moment that
Dickerson and Hines tried to open the box, it became clear that the
class of 1900 had been concerned that its legacy remain intact. After
removing the screws that kept the wooden box closed, a metal box was
revealed. Presumably, the metal box was intended to protect its
contents from the elements. Dickerson and Hines tried to open it and
found that it had been soldered shut. While Russell Boudreau of
Buildings and Grounds hammered away at the box with a mallet and
putty knife, assisted by Dickerson, Crys Latham '00, and audience
member Mark Girard (husband of Diane Godek '92 and supplier of the
putty knife), Hines entertained the audience by reading headlines and
stories from the newspapers that had lined the wooden box. In between
listening to accounts of President McKinley's wife's illness and the
birth of the czarina of Russia's fourth daughter, there was ample
time to imagine just what was in that box and to build suspense. Finally, the metal box was
ripped open (with the help of tools supplied by Mike Russell of
Buildings and Grounds), and the amphitheater erupted in applause.
Each item was carefully lifted from the straw packing material that
surrounded it. Highlights of the box included a black beret with the
words Mount Holyoke on it; several College theatre playbills; a blue
book used for "examinatories"; a class photo of the class of 1900; a
photo of the class officers; June 1900 commencement materials; the
constitution of the MHC Debating Society; a 1900-dated penny; a
four-year record of Margaret Ball's expenses; and a course catalogue.
Peter Carini, director of
archives and special collections, was on hand at the event to talk to
the media, and Monday he took a closer look at the capsule contents.
"A couple of things come to mind after a more careful viewing of the
capsule objects," he says. "First, the condition of the materials was
amazing. I was stunned by how well-preserved all of the items were.
One of the letters from the seniors describing Senior Week [the
week leading up to commencement] was fastened together with a
pin, and the pin is still shiny and new looking. The account books,
which appear to be bound in pigskin, look like new, and even the
paper is in better condition than we would have expected." According to Carini, "The
letters describing Senior Week are by far the most interesting of the
items in the box. These are personal accounts for some of the days of
the week. They give us some insight into the activities leading up to
commencement. The account books are also interesting. While we have
some information about students' expenses at this time, I don't think
we have a full accounting for one student for her four years here.
The blue book is also of interest since the time capsule creators
explain what the book was used for [thinking that they would no
longer be used in the year 2000]." Seemingly in reply to Ball's
one-hundred-year-old entreaty, the event closed with a poignant
rendition of the College's Alma Mater sung by all assembled.
Wrote Ball, "Tell us that you love our college. This is the great
bond between us; and the love and loyalty that we pledge as we leave
our Alma Mater shall never fail to live in our hearts, while we are
sure that your love and loyalty will be as strong, and nobler as you
have greater opportunities." The news media descended upon
the College's amphitheater Friday evening, March 31, to cover the
time capsule's opening, and more than a dozen reporters and
photographers were among the 1,000 spectators on hand for the evening
ceremony. In addition to journalists from NPR, the Associated Press,
and the New York Times, local and regional media were
represented, including Boston's Channel 7, Springfield stations
Channel 22 and 40, as well as the region's two daily papers, the
Daily Hampshire Gazette and the Springfield Union-News.
As the CSJ goes to
press, the Office of Communications is compiling an overview of news
coverage. So far, clips and other reports indicate that news of the
time capsule spread far and wide. NPR's piece aired on Sunday evening
(April 2) on Weekend All Things Considered. Complete with
audio of the ceremony's closing singing of the Alma Mater, the
five-minute piece was a touching tribute to the College. Listeners
can hear the NPR piece by visiting
zhttp://search.npr.org/cf/cmn/cmnps05fm.cfm?SegID=72384. An electronic version of the
New York Times article was published on the paper's Web site
on Sunday, April 2, and in certain editions of the Sunday paper. The
story can be accessed for a fee by searching the site's 365-day
archive found at nytimes.com. Locally, the story ran on the
front page of the Springfield Union-News's Saturday (April 1)
paper and appeared in Monday's Daily Hampshire Gazette. Television and radio
coverage--both before and after the once-in-a-century event--included
segments on WBZ-AM in Boston; local NPR-affiliate WFC; Channels 22
and 40 in Springfield; Channels 4, 5, and Channel 7 in Boston; as
well as television stations in Hartford; Sacramento, CA; and West
Palm Beach. The College is also expecting
a story in the Boston Globe's "Learning" section and coverage
in other outlets in upcoming weeks.
A
reporter from Boston's Channel 7 interviews students prior to the
opening of the capsule.
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