Alumni get nasty surprise as UW opens time capsule

As they cracked the capsule Thursday afternoon, University of Washington research team members expected to find a prim and proper package from the nifty 1950s.

What they got was a faceful of pornography, circa 1978, and dirty underwear.

The older, tamer items -- snapshots of men with crew cuts, reel-to-reel recordings of School of Communications alumni cracking wise -- still lay in the steel box, as they had since the capsule was sealed into the wall of the then-new Communications Building in 1957.

But they had company. Erotic, irreverent company.

Sometime in the early 1980s, the pranksters -- unknown as yet -- laid a pornographic centerfold atop the pile, and added other odd and obscene mementos to the mix. That was the image that greeted researchers, when they opened the capsule in preparation for a dinner Thursday evening with alumni who packed the original.

Before displaying the capsule's contents to the crowd gathered at the University Alumni Club, Department of Communication Chairman Jerry Baldasty had to break the strange news.

"The good news is that all the things that were in there are still there," Baldasty said. "The interesting news is that some other things were added."

Including, Baldasty said, "one of Hugh Hefner's publications."

As alumnus Mike Peringer pulled items from the box, he drew giggles and a few gasps from the crowd of aging Huskies. With more than a little haste, he held up an antique condom pulled from a leather wallet, prompting one attendee to point out that the artifact was not part of the original batch.

Removed as part of a 50th anniversary of the university's communications program, the capsule is being replaced by another created by a student-faculty team.

The new capsule will be filled with digital media focusing on "communication from a global perspective," said Coma Te, a 20-year-old senior who was one of six students who created the new capsule.

Carrying images of graffiti and video titled "Slang Flashcards," the new capsule was meant to have a sharper edge than its predecessor. But after Wednesday's discovery, it seems unlikely to be quite as shocking.

The contents of both capsules -- well, most of the contents -- are set to be publicly shown Saturday during a celebration at the UW.

THE OLD, THE NEW ANDD THE UGLY

Some contents of the University of Washington time capsules

The original 1957 capsule

• Recordings of University of Washington Communications School professors and former students.
• Copies of the student-run newspaper, the Daily, and photographs of staff members.
• Radio program schedules, trade publications and Seattle newspapers.
• Textbooks relating to media theory, copyright law and public relations.

The 2007 capsule

• Samples of graffiti, bumper stickers, and images of "urban discourse" in Seattle.
• Results of a survey asking UW students about various aspects of modern-day communication.
• Newspapers and magazines from the week the capsule is sealed
• A documentary on how young adults communicate, with a focus on online video sharing.

The early-1980s addition

• A 1980 copy of The Rocket, with a cover illustration of Ted Nugent.
• Two pairs of stained men's briefs.
• Copies of Playboy and Hustler magazines, and the self-help book, "I'm OK, You're OK."
• An unopened letter to Linda Ronstadt.