Just tell us: What’s in the capsule?

Calling the Orange Coast College class of 1969.

Are any of you out there?

If you are, OCC just wants to let you know that it doesn’t have a clue as to what’s in the time capsule that you buried near Watson Hall on Nov. 25, 1969.

And the college administration, for reasons of historical legacy and preservation, would love it if you could give them a call and let them know.

If you have the time.

Mostly, the college just wants to know what it’s dealing with — in case something happens to the marker that now stands at the spot where the capsule is buried.

After all, bad luck already struck the pair of redwood trees planted above the capsule during the ceremony back in the day. Disease struck and they had to be cut down in 1976. But the time capsule, true to its name, has endured. It’s not supposed to be unearthed until 2069 — or 59 years from now.

These days, the plaque sort of looks like a grave stone on the horizon. Weeds and bushes occasionally have come to mar its presence, but the maintenance crew at the college has done a good job to make sure that the marker is never completely forgotten, its visibility never obscured.

Yet students walk by it all the time, barely noticing it.

Like some historical statue that only interests the historian, nobody really pays much attention to it.

At the time of its burial, however, the capsule was a big deal.

Even then-President Richard Nixon and then-Gov. Ronald Reagan were invited to the ceremony. They never made it.

“We just don’t know what’s inside and it would be nice to know,” said Jeff Hobbs, director of communications for the college. “Who knows? There could be an old newspaper clipping in there, a letterman’s jacket, some Vietnam stuff, a receipt of some sort, a college mascot. Who knows?”

Ultimately, Hobbs said, it would be nice to hold a rededication ceremony so that people will remember that it’s there and that future administrations take note.

“We don’t want to un-bury it before its time,” Hobbs said. “I want to make that clear. But you never know. I’d hate for the thing to get lost or forgotten. Unfortunately, stuff like this can happen. We’ve got plenty of more years left.”

If anybody knows the contents of the time capsule, please give Hobbs a shout at (714) 432-5725.

It Happened In 1969

January

Richard Nixon takes office as the 37th U.S. president.

March

Apollo 9 launches and returns to Earth.

August

Woodstock, the three-day music festival, takes place in upstate New York.

Former Angels closer Troy Percival is born in Fontana.

September

Ho Chi Minh, president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), dies at 79.

October

Jack Kerouac, influential “Beat” author, dies at 47.

November

Soccer legend Pelé scores his 1,000th goal.

Editor’s note: This corrects an earlier version.