Time capsule yields 1998 memorabilia

By Phil Major
publisher@wood.cm
Posted 5/18/23

Only somewhat the worse for wear, the time capsule planted by the Mineola High School Class of 1998 came out of the ground last Tuesday afternoon.

The capsule, actually a cooler, had been buried …

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Time capsule yields 1998 memorabilia

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Only somewhat the worse for wear, the time capsule planted by the Mineola High School Class of 1998 came out of the ground last Tuesday afternoon.

The capsule, actually a cooler, had been buried in front of the high school’s Texas flag pole, and it was located Monday to try to avoid any lengthy delays.

That was a lesson learned 25 years ago when the capsule buried in 1973 was unearthed.

That capsule was buried in celebration of the city’s centennial, for a 25-year time span that coincided with the high school’s centennial in 1998.

Now the city is celebrating 150 years of incorporation, and the Class of 2023 is working to choose items to go back in the ground for the Class of 2048 to witness.

City Marketing Director Owen Tiner was a member of that 1998 class and had expressed some reservations about what he and his friends may have snuck in at the last minute.

His fears were unwarranted. The worst was a pair of soft drink cans that he and a friend placed to mark their ongoing argument about which was better, Coca-Cola or Dr Pepper – one empty, one full.

One bag of items suffered serious water damage while other items were virtually intact.

They range from t-shirts to programs, photos, news clippings and the 1998 graduation edition of the Mineola Monitor.

A class photo and roster were in decent shape while the 1997 high school yearbook (1998’s had not yet been published) soaked up some moisture.

There were some photos that ranged from poor to all right, of varying subjects including some of the downtown landmarks and various vehicles, plus student activities.

The program from the high school production of Grease was among the items, along with a four-page class history.

One letter from a teacher noted that when it was read those class members would be in their 40s.

On hand for the unveiling were two members of the 1973 class, several 1998 members and the class officers from this year’s senior class.

The items were not removed until they were indoors and laid out to dry at city hall.

Some will be displayed downtown during the city’s Spring Fling Saturday, then forwarded to the Mineola Historical Museum, which has items that could be salvaged from the 1973 capsule.

Pulling out the treasures, it was learned that laminated items had a better chance to survive, as did items that had at least three layers of protection.

Tiner said the city is putting together a 24-inch diameter piece of PVC pipe that will be sealed on either end to house the 2023 artifacts.

Technology will allow many more items to be included digitally – assuming devices exist to read the files 25 years hence.