A time capsule donated by the UF Class of 1995 intended to be opened on Jan. 20 will now be opened in April.
The time capsule located in the brick wall in front of the Florida Gym will be opened during the class’ 20-year reunion.
It wasn’t opened before because it was overlooked.
“The bottom line is that I don’t think we were aware of the time capsule,” said UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes. “Once we became aware of it, we decided that the best thing to do is to wait until the alumni of 1995 can participate.”
When Jan. 20 passed, she began to receive phone calls asking when it would be opened. Sikes did not know why that specific date was chosen.
One reason the capsule wasn’t opened was that there was no explanation of how to access it. Because the capsule is inside a brick wall, permission needs to be given in order to break it open. The person who could grant permission is unknown, said Shannon Sumerlin, senior director of constituency engagement for the UF Alumni Association.
“No one has any records of this being built, or at least no records have been passed down to the Alumni Association,” Sumerlin said.
The time capsule was the first senior gift from the Senior Class Gift program — later renamed the Senior Legacy program — designed to unite the class and recruit donors.
People from different organizations were asked to add something to the time capsule that captured the year of 1995.
There is a possibility that a version of the campus tour manual from 1995 was put into the capsule on behalf of the Florida Cicerones, said Andy Morris, former Florida Cicerone president who was asked to contribute to the time capsule.
The Alumni Association intends to open the capsule during Orange & Blue Weekend, said Alisson Clark, senior writer for UF’s University Relations.
Having the opening during the 20-year reunion will give the Alumni Association time to find out how to get to the time capsule, and it will give the alumni of the class an opportunity to be present when its contents are revealed.
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 1/29/2015 under the headline “Time capsule from UF Class of ‘95 opening delayed until April"]
A photo of the plaque covering the time capsule installed near the Florida Gym. The opening of the capsule was delayed until April to coincide with the UF Class of 1995’s reunion.
