The Forum

Who would’ve thought that when construction began to update our beautiful campus, an extraordinary find would occur? 

Hidden behind the cornerstone of the Instructional Resources (IR) Building was a small copper box filled with history. The box was placed there on May 19, 1967, with artifacts from faculty, staff, and students. This was a time capsule for a future generation to be opened 58 years, 9 months and 19 days later. This generation was lucky enough to find it. 

Dozens of staff, students, community members and retired STLCC Florissant Valley celebrated the time capsule reveal on March 11, 2026, in the Multipurpose Room in the Student Center, which had been decorated with items representing the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. 

One special person in attendance at the reveal was Roger Schnell, who worked on campus at the time the capsule was placed. His signature was located on the parchment in the time capsule. Imagine watching the opening of the time capsule and seeing a document you had contributed almost 60 years earlier.  

At the reveal ceremony, the small copper box sat on a table for everyone to see before maintenance workers opened it and handed one piece after another to STLCC-FV Campus President Elizabeth Perkins. 

During her short speech, Perkins said she was ecstatic when news reached her that a time capsule had been found and decided to have a party to open it. “We know that there are a lot of history and feelings attached to those spaces,” Perkins said in her opening remarks, but added, “even greater things are on the horizon.”  

She gave a special thanks to our facilities team, including Nate Gluesenkamp, project facilitator, construction, and Aaron Eckhard, manager of facilities. Perkins noted that most of the people in attendance had probably walked past the cornerstone every day but may not have noticed it. Eckhard and his team were able to remove the cornerstone without breaking or cracking it. That was when they found a little box hidden behind it.  

As they pulled out the first item, Perkins called them “messages from the past.” The first item was a film titled “Higher education and the future of the youth and the greater St. Louis educational era” by Edward B. Shils, Ph.D., January 22, 1960. Also included was the student body roster, including senators and SGA president along with a document that contained all the signatures from administration and faculty. The student handbook titled The Norseman, from 1967, also was removed, which included the school’s crest, and is now visible near the archive space in the IR. A copy of the student newspaper, the North Star, a list of required books from the student bookstore, and a list of all construction workers from the project also were inside. 

Other items inside the time capsule were two student essays, articles from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Globe Democrat newspapers about the placing of the time capsule ceremony, construction pictures, and a picture of the campus in 1967. Another interesting document was the senate and house bill that started the Junior College District (JCD), which later became known as the St. Louis Community College. 

The contents of the time capsule from 1967 are being held in the library. If anyone wishes to become an archeologist and look through all the items more closely, read the newspaper columns and student essays, and discover the history of STLCC-FV, make an appointment by emailing either Jennifer Conroy, manager, campus library, or Elizabeth Arnold, administrative assistant I, Library Services,  

After all the items were removed, Perkins announced that it was time to leave our mark on history and send a message to a future generation. Forms designed by current graphic design students with questions and room for comments on acid-free paper using archival pens were available for everyone to contribute to the next time capsule.  

A new time capsule will be placed later this spring as a way to continue the story of the STLCC Florissant Valley campus. This time capsule will be buried between the Science and Math and the AI buildings under the cornerstone, surrounded by bricks from buildings currently slated for demolition.  

Anyone who wishes to be a part of our continuing history can fill out a form available in the library until April 28. Return completed forms to any librarian at the front desk. 

As one looks through the contents of this box and the papers from 1967, one can’t help but feel the impact of our campus history and how far it has come. Or see history being made right in front of our eyes. 

One also has to wonder when this new time capsule is found, what will the new generation think? Will any one of us be around to see it opened?