Darden Capsule Marks 50 Years

A time capsule for Darden artifacts was unveiled April 18 during the school’s traditional First Coffee.
“We want to touch base with people in 2057, to give them an idea of what Darden was all about in 2007,” said Ken White, Darden’s vice president of communication and marketing. “This will be our connection to the future.”

Rather than bury the treasure underground, White said the time capsule will be displayed prominently on Grounds where people will be able to view it for decades to come.

The stainless steel canister, about four feet tall and 12 inches in diameter, will be filled with Darden memorabilia and items commemorating the 50th anniversary of the school’s founding in 1955. As the two-year celebration of the anniversary draws to a close, the time capsule will be sealed and presented to Dean Robert Bruner by alumni with the Class of 1957 – the first graduates of Darden. The ceremony will take place over the upcoming Reunion Weekend, when the Class of ’57 will celebrate their 50th anniversary.

A fireworks display on Grounds will mark the occasion Saturday night, April 21.
The engraved capsule gives explicit instructions that it is not to be opened until Reunion Weekend 2057.
More than three dozen unique items will be placed in the capsule, including a Darden baseball cap, a case study of Enron written by the dean and professor Sam Bodily, 2007 Darden Incubator company business plans, Executive Education program offerings in 2007, an issue of the student newspaper, the Cold Call Chronicle; employment reports for the classes of 2006 and 2007, the MBA for Executives program directory, a Darden military coin, a student t-shirt, a brochure of fabulous things to do in Charlottesville, and a wealth of photographs.
Members of the Darden community are encouraged to submit items for possible inclusion in the time capsule before it is sealed April 21 for the next half century. Bring future artifacts to the Communication and Marketing suite in the Abbott Center on Grounds.

- Darden News site