>>
Gary Walker: JUST AHEAD ON "NEED TO KNOW," IT'S RESTING QUIETLY
IN THE CORNERSTONE OF OLD CITY HALL. AND IN 133 YEARS, OUR MESSAGES
TO THE FUTURE WILL REEMERGE FOR THE CITY'S TRICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.
THE 2001 TIME CAPSULE IS NOW PART OF OUR PAST, JUST LIKE THE
1873 TIME CAPSULE. WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHAT IT'S LIKE TO FIND A
CAPSULE, WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BURY ONE, AND WE'LL ALSO TELL YOU
ABOUT SOME MYSTERIOUS TIME CAPSULES STILL BURIED AROUND THE
CITY. ALSO, WE HAVE A ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEW WITH MARY DONOHUE.
SHE TALKS ABOUT WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE NEW YORK'S LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR.
BUT FIRST, THE FUTURE AND PAST MEET UP. IT'S ALL NEXT ON "NEED
TO KNOW."
>>
...SENDING ON THE GIFTS OF KNOWLEDGE, PERSONAL STORIES, AND
TOUCHING COMMUNICATIONS TO THE PEOPLE OF 2134.
>> THIS IS "NEED TO KNOW," THE ROCHESTER AREA'S ONLY IN-DEPTH
NEWS PROGRAM. "NEED TO KNOW" IS A PRODUCTION OF WXXI NEWS AND
PUBLIC AFFAIRS, COVERING ISSUES, POLITICS, EDUCATION AND CURRENT
EVENTS.
>>
"NEED TO KNOW" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE DAISY MARQUIS JONES FOUNDATION,
BY DORSCHEL LEXUS, AND THROUGH THE SUPPORT OF VIEWERS LIKE YOU.
>>
Gary Walker: THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. I'M GARY WALKER. TIME
TRAVEL... IT'S BEEN TALKED ABOUT FOR CENTURIES, AND TO OUR KNOWLEDGE,
IT'S NEVER BEEN DONE. BUT WE HAVE FOUND A WAY TO COMMUNICATE
TO FUTURE GENERATIONS, AND WE HAVE BEEN DOING IT FOR A LONG
TIME. IN 1873, THE CITY OF ROCHESTER PUT TOGETHER AN OFFICIAL
TIME CAPSULE. WE OPENED IT IN DECEMBER OF '99. THE CAPSULE REMAINED
AMAZINGLY INTACT AND ITS CONTENTS WERE VERY WELL PRESERVED.
THE CAPSULE GAVE US AN IDEA TO CREATE A NEW ONE, REPRESENTING
OUR TIME. WE BURIED IT EARLIER THIS WEEK IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT
AS THE 1873 CAPSULE AND THE INTENT IS FOR ROCHESTER'S FUTURE
RESIDENTS TO OPEN IT UP IN 2134. SO OUR TIME CAPSULE ACTUALLY
SPANS MORE THAN A CENTURY. IT REALLY IS A CONTINUATION FROM
ROCHESTERIANS OF 1873. NOW, BUILDING A TIME CAPSULE IS PRETTY
SERIOUS BUSINESS. A LOT WILL CHANGE IN 133 YEARS, EXCEPT FOR
ONE THING, AND THAT'S THE TIME CAPSULE. THAT WILL REMAIN THE
SAME. SO HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT TO SEND AND HOW DO YOU REPRESENT
AN ENTIRE CITY AND AN AREA IN A ONE-FOOT CUBE BOX? WXXI'S JENNIFER
REED HAS THE STORY.
(Bagpipe
music)
>>
OH, YES! THE MOMENT WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR IS HERE! WE HAVE
ALL BEEN IN THIS TIME CAPSULE WAITING PATIENTLY FOR YOU TO COME.
WE HAVE ALL BEEN GETTING ALONG VERY WELL IN HERE. LET ME ASK
A FEW QUESTIONS. HOW ARE WE GETTING ALONG NOW? DO WE STILL LOOK
AT EACH OTHER BY COLOR OR BY JUST BEING THE PERSON THAT WE ARE?
ARE WE STILL DIVIDED? DO HATE CRIMES AND RACIAL PROFILING STILL
EXIST? LET'S ALL GET ALONG AS PEOPLE, OKAY? AND KEEP OUR PREJUDICE
OUT OF THIS.
>>
ONE CURIOSITY I HAVE ABOUT THE FUTURE IS DIABETES. MY SISTER,
MY MOTHER AND I ALL HAVE DIABETES. WE ARE ALL ABLE TO CONTROL
OUR DIABETES, BUT THE COMPLICATIONS OF THE DISEASE ARE NEVER
FAR FROM OUR MINDS. MY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE IS THAT YOU NOW HAVE
A PEACEFUL WORLD AND ONE FREE OF DISEASES. MY BEST TO YOU.
>>
I'M NOT A FAMOUS MAN. I'M NOT A COMMUNITY MOVER OR SHAKER. I'M
NOT EVEN WELL-DRESSED. I AM A COMMON MAN. WHO AM I? I AM ONE
WHO HOPES. I HOPE THAT THE CHOICES, THE EVERY DAY CHOICES THAT
I MAKE, ARE THE BEST FOR MY FAMILY AND ME. I HOPE THAT MY CHILDREN
GROW AND CHANGE LIVES BY DOING RIGHT AND HONORABLE DEEDS. I
HOPE MY WORK AS A TEACHER WILL REACH EVEN YOU.
>>
Jennifer Reed: OUR MESSAGES NOW LINGER IN BOTH THE FUTURE AND
THE PAST.
>>
WE ARE RESPONDING TO A STRONG DESIRE, MAYBE EVEN A NEED, TO
COMMUNICATE ACROSS TIME. WE WANT TO SPEAK TO FUTURE GENERATIONS,
AND WE WANT TO BE UNDERSTOOD. WE WANT TO TOUCH THE PEOPLE OF
THE FUTURE IN THE SAME WAY WE WERE TOUCHED BY THE PEOPLE OF
THE PAST.
>> Jennifer Reed: IN 2134, 133 YEARS FROM NOW, THE PAST WILL
MEET UP WITH THE FUTURE AGAIN. ROCHESTER WILL TURN 300 YEARS
OLD, AND THE CONTENTS OF THE 2001 TIME CAPSULE WILL BE PART
OF THE CITY'S CELEBRATION.
>>
THIS GIFT THAT WE HAVE CREATED TOGETHER ARE TO GIVE THE PEOPLE
OF ROCHESTER IN 2134 A VERY GOOD IDEA OF WHAT WE ARE ABOUT IN
THIS CITY, WORKING TOGETHER, CARING FOR EACH OTHER TOGETHER
AND PROUD OF WHAT WE ARE.
>>
Jennifer Reed: BUT HOW DO YOU REFLECT THAT WHEN YOU ONLY HAVE
A ONE-FOOT CUBE CONTAINER?
>> OKAY.
>>
SO ALL THAT FITS?
>>
ALL THAT FITS. ADD ANOTHER TWO INCHES OF OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS
PREPARED...
>>
Jennifer Reed: ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF THE TIME CAPSULE CONTAINS
LETTERS AND PHOTOGRAPHS FROM OUR COMMUNITY LEADERS. THEY REPRESENT
87 DIFFERENT VOICES. ANOTHER THIRD OF THE BOX CONTAINS PERSONAL
LETTERS AND PHOTOS FROM CITIZENS, CITIZENS WHO WERE CHOSEN BY
LOTTERY.
>>
WE HAD OVER 600 ENTRIES AND WE DREW 100, AND 78 PEOPLE ACTUALLY
SENT THEIR LETTERS BACK IN.
>>
THE OVERWHELMING MESSAGE THAT I SAW IN ALL THE LETTERS AND ALL
THE ENTRIES WAS THAT PEOPLE WANTED TO THANK PEOPLE IN THEIR
LIVES. IT WAS SORT OF A REVIEW OF THEIR LIVES. THEY LOOKED BACK
AND LOOKED AT WHAT THEIR LIVES HAD BEEN LIKE AND WHAT THEY HAD
HOPED IN THE FUTURE WOULD BE CHANGED, FOR INSTANCE A CURE FOR
AIDS OR CANCER OR THAT THERE WOULD BE NO RACIAL DISCRIMINATION.
THOSE KIND OF MESSAGES WERE VERY STRONG.
>>
SOME PEOPLE CHOSE TO ADD, TO PUT IN DIFFERENT KINDS OF THINGS
AS OPPOSED TO A LETTER.
>>
Jennifer Reed: THE REST OF THE TIME CAPSULE WAS FILLED WITH
ITEMS REPRESENTING EVERY DAY LIFE.
>>
OVER 100 BITS OF OUR LIVES, REPRESENTED BY ITEMS AS VARIED AS
A RED WINGS' TICKET TO MAGNETIC KEY ACCESS CARD, FROM A SACAGAWEA
DOLLAR TO A TOY CAR, THESE LITTLE BITS WILL GRANT FUTURE CITIZENS
AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A GLIMPSE OF WHO WE WERE.
>>
Jennifer Reed: THERE WERE EVEN CONTRIBUTIONS FROM SOME OF OUR
LOCAL ARTISTS.
>>
THIS WAS PAINTED BY TWO OF THE SENECA PARK ZOO ELEPHANTS. IT
SAYS GENNY C. AND LILAC, SO I GUESS THEY BOTH SHARED THE PAINTING,
WHICH WAS ACTUALLY A LARGER PIECE.
>>
SO WE HAVE MUSIC AND ART AND SPORTS AND GOVERNMENT.
>>
SHOPPING.
>>
SHOPPING, EDUCATION, CHILDREN, RELIGION, MONEY, RECEIPTS, CAR
KEYS... A SLICE OF MONROE AVENUE.
>> Jennifer Reed: BUT WHAT DON'T THEY HAVE? IN THE 1873 TIME
CAPSULE, THERE WAS NO MENTION OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS AND HIS
"NORTH STAR," VERY LITTLE OF SUSAN B. ANTHONY AND THE 1848 WOMEN'S
RIGHTS CONVENTION. SO NOW IN 2001, WHAT ARE WE LEAVING OUT?
I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE CONDOM BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW THAT
IT WAS IN THE 1873 --
>>
OH, RIGHT. WELL, WE DON'T HAVE A CONDOM AS FAR AS I KNOW THAT'S
IN THE TIME CAPSULE, IN THIS TIME CAPSULE. IT CERTAINLY WAS
FUN TO FIND THE ONE IN THE 1873 CAPSULE, AND WE CERTAINLY GOT
A LOT OF PRESS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, BUT WE HAVEN'T SEEN ONE HERE.
>>
Jennifer Reed: WE DID. WE DON'T KNOW FOR SURE IF IT ACTUALLY
GOT SENT TO THE FUTURE, BUT IT WAS VACUUM-SEALED AND READY TO
GO, ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER ITEMS THAT REFLECT LIFE IN THE
EARLY PART OF THE 21st CENTURY, WHICH WOULD CERTAINLY INCLUDE
SAFE SEX. WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME WHY YOU HAVE THESE SEPARATED
INTO DIFFERENT PACKAGES?
>> WELL, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF REASONS WE SEPARATED THEM. ONE
IS TO SORT OF KEEP THEM CATEGORICALLY TAPED TOGETHER, THE CITIZENS'
LETTERS TO THE FUTURE, MESSAGES FROM COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS
LEADERS, AND PARTLY BECAUSE WE WANTED TO MAKE DISCRETE ENVIRONMENTAL
PACKAGES.
>>
Jennifer Reed: THE 2001 TIME CAPSULE IS KEEPING UP WITH OUR
TECHNOLOGY. THE MUSEUM USED OXYGEN-EATER PACKETS TO SLOW DOWN
THE AGING PROCESS. THEY ALSO HEAT-SEALED THE CONTENTS TO WARD
OFF MOISTURE AND GAS. WHEN THEY DID THE TIME CAPSULE IN 1873,
THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY OF THIS BUT EVERYTHING WAS PRESERVED.
>>
YEAH, AND FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. ONE, THEY HAD FAR FEWER
DIFFERENT TYPES OF MATERIALS. I MEAN IN TODAY'S TIMES, YOU HAVE
COATED PAPERS; YOU HAVE PAPERS OF DIFFERENT STOCK. WE HAVE,
AGAIN, PLASTIC MATERIALS. WE DIDN'T CONTROL THE MEDIA THAT PEOPLE
PUT IN THERE. THERE ARE PHOTOGRAPHS; THERE ARE COLOUR PRINTS.
THERE'S, AGAIN, JUST AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ARRAY OF MATERIAL.
WE WILL PUT ON THE BOTTOM OF THE TIME CAPSULE, WE WILL PUT A
GROUPING CALLED "ROCHESTER NEWSPAPERS AND PRINTED MATTER," WHICH
NESTLES NICELY DOWN THERE. TIGHTLY. AND ON TOP OF THAT, WE'LL
PUT A GROUPING THAT IS CATALOGUES, BROCHURES, AND PUBLICATIONS
DEFINING, YOU KNOW, ROCHESTER TODAY. AND THIS IS A GROUPING
OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBJECTS THAT DEFINE OUR TIMES, SORT OF
A PART OF A SLICE OF LIFE, AND TO THE EXTENT WE CAN, WE WILL
SLIP THAT GENTLY DOWN THE SIDE, NICELY TUCKED IN THERE, BEAUTIFUL,
ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF, SO YOU WON'T NOTICE ANY OF THE... AND
THEN SITTING ON TOP -- AND ACTUALLY THAT WILL BE TUCKED AROUND
THE EDGES...
>> Jennifer Reed: THE BOX WAS MADE AND SEALED BY THE SAME COMPANY
THAT MADE THE ORIGINAL ONE BACK IN 1873, AND JUST TO MAKE SURE
THE TIME CAPSULE MAKES IT TO THE FUTURE INTACT THE SEALED COPPER
BOX WAS ENCASED AND WELDED SHUT INSIDE A SPECIAL POLYETHYLENE
CONTAINER. NOW THAT THE CAPSULE AND ITS CONTENTS ARE SAFELY
PRESERVED, IT HAS TO STAY THAT WAY UNTIL 2134. THE 2001 TIME
CAPSULE WILL LIE RIGHT HERE IN THE CORNERSTONE OF THE OLD CITY
HALL FOR THE NEXT 133 YEARS. AND WHEN IT'S TIME TO OPEN THE
BOX, WE WILL ONCE AGAIN LINGER IN BOTH THE FUTURE AND THE PAST.
>> CAN PEOPLE PRACTICE WHATEVER RELIGION THEY WANT?
>>
DO PEOPLE STILL BELIEVE IN GOD?
>>
HAS THERE BEEN A WORLD WAR III?
>>
DO PEOPLE STILL READ BOOKS?
>>
WHAT NEW ANIMALS ARE EXTINCT?
(Music)
>>
Gary Walker: JOINING ME IN STUDIO TO TALK ABOUT THE CITY'S TIME
CAPSULE AND WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO SPEAK TO FUTURE GENERATIONS
IS RALPH WIEGANDT, WHO IS THE CONSERVATOR OF THE ROCHESTER MUSEUM
AND SCIENCE CENTER; LORETTA SCOTT, THE EMCEE FOR OUR TIME CAPSULE
CEREMONY AND ALSO IS ROCHESTER'S PARKS, RECREATION AND HUMAN
SERVICES COMMISSIONER. AND WE HAVE LEA KEMP, WHO IS ALSO WITH
THE MUSEUM. SHE'S A LIBRARIAN AND ARCHIVIST. Ms. KEMP CAN TALK
ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER TIME CAPSULES THAT ARE STILL BURIED
IN THE CITY. THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US. LEA, I WOULD LOVE
TO BEGIN WITH YOU. THE MAYOR IN JENNIFER'S PACKAGE TALKED ABOUT
A DESIRE AND MAYBE A NEED TO SPEAK TO FUTURE GENERATIONS.
>>
INDEED.
>>
Gary Walker: WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
>> PARTICULARLY IN THE LATTER PART OF THE 19th CENTURY, THERE
SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN A PROLIFERATION OF THESE TIME CAPSULES. WELL,
PEOPLE NEED TO -- WE ARE IN A SPACE IN TIME WHEN WE NEED TO
KNOW ABOUT THE PAST, FROM OUR OWN EXPERIENCE, AND CAN WE EXPERIENCE
THE FUTURE? SO WE NEED TO CONNECT. AND IT IS CONNECTIONS. IN
THE LATTER PART OF THE 19th CENTURY, THE COURTHOUSE IN ROCHESTER
WAS BUILT, 1894, I BELIEVE, AND THEY BURIED SOMETHING IN THE
CORNERSTONE. THEY BURIED IT WITH THE IDEA THAT WHEN THAT BUILDING
CAME DOWN, WE WOULD SEE THE CONTENTS. NOW, THAT'S THAT WONDERFUL
MONROE COUNTY OFFICE BUILDING, AS IF ANYBODY COULD BELIEVE THAT
IT COULD COME DOWN. THEY DID THAT BECAUSE THERE HAD BEEN TWO
PREVIOUS COURTHOUSES THAT HAD BEEN DEMOLISHED AND HAD TIME CAPSULES
IN THEM.
>> Gary Walker: AWESOME. WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT IN A
MINUTE BECAUSE I FIND THAT FASCINATING. BUT I DO WANT TO TURN
TO LORETTA AND ASK YOU, THE 1873 CAPSULE, I MEAN DID WE KNOW
IT WAS IN THERE? I MEAN WERE WE JUST COUNTING OFF THE TIME?
WAS THERE A TIMER IN CITY HALL SAYING, "WELL, IT'S TIME TO OPEN
UP THAT OLD CAPSULE"? HOW DID IT COME TO BE THAT -- HOW DID
IT COME TO OUR KNOWLEDGE THAT WE SHOULD OPEN IT?
>> A LITTLE MORE THAN TWO YEARS AGO, ONE OF OUR EMPLOYEES FOUND
A NEWSPAPER CLIPPING THAT DESCRIBED THAT CEREMONY AND DESCRIBED
THE TIME CAPSULE AND ITS LOCATION. THAT SORT OF SET THE MOTION
FOR IT. WE THEN WERE INITIALLY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE
ARE GOING TO DO WITH IT. IT TOOK US AWHILE.
>>
Gary Walker: SO FOR THE TIME BEING, IT WAS MORE OR LESS FORGOTTEN?
>> WELL, YES. YES, IT WAS FORGOTTEN UNTIL WE FOUND THE NEWSPAPER
CLIPPING THAT SAID, "THERE'S A NICE GIFT FOR YOU OVER IN THAT
BUILDING."
>>
Gary Walker: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS WHEN YOU FOUND THAT
OUT.
>>
I'M NOT SURE. I KNEW -- WE WERE SHOCKED. WE WERE CONFUSED ALSO
BECAUSE WE NEVER EXPECTED TO FIND -- WE KNEW ABOUT TIME CAPSULES
BUT WE DIDN'T EXPECT TO FIND ONE, AND WE CERTAINLY DIDN'T EXPECT
TO BE THE STEWARDS OF ONE AND HAVE SUCH A WEIGHTY RESPONSIBILITY
ON US AS FAR AS LETTING PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT IT AND HAVING THE
APPRECIATION OF WHAT IT MIGHT CONTAIN.
>>
Gary Walker: DID YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHERE IT WAS, THOUGH?
>>
YES. IT DESCRIBED IT IN THE ARTICLE.
>>
Gary Walker: Mr. WIEGANDT, YOU HAVE JUST BEEN LIVING LARGE THE
LAST TWO YEARS. I'VE GOT TO ASK YOU -- YOU KNOW, OUR TIME CAPSULE
IN A SENSE IS HISTORY NOW -- YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT THIS LITTLE
EPISODE IN YOUR CAREER AND LIFE?
>>
WELL, I'M STILL PROCESSING IT. I REALIZE WE HAVE GONE THROUGH
AND HAVE COME TO CLOSURE ON THE RESPONSE, BUT I STILL THINK
IT'S VERY MUCH ALIVE IN MANY REGARDS, WHERE THERE WILL BE A
LOT OF DISCUSSION AND THINKING ABOUT IT IN THE COMMUNITY AND
FOR ME, WHILE WE HAVE SENT THAT MESSAGE ON, I KNOW FOR THE REST
OF MY LIFE, WHEN I WALK BY THE CORNER OF FITZHUGH AND BROAD
STREET, I'LL BE SAYING TO MYSELF, "I HOPE WE DID A GOOD JOB.
I HOPE IT'S STILL OKAY."
>>
Gary Walker: I JUST HAVE TO SAY, A VERY IMPRESSIVE SEALING PROCEDURE.
IT WAS FASCINATING TO WATCH ALL THAT WAS DONE. IT EVEN IMPRESSES
ME MORE THAT THE FOLKS IN 1873 DID WHAT THEY DID WITH A COPPER
BOX AND SOME SOLDER. IT'S JUST STRIKING TO ME. BUT LET ME GO
A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO YOUR SEALING PROCESS. IT DIDN'T OCCUR
TO ME UNTIL I SAW JENNIFER'S PACKAGE THAT THERE'S A WIDE VARIETY
OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS IN OUR TIME CAPSULE, AND THAT'S GOING
TO MAKE -- DO WE KNOW WHAT THE EFFECT OF THAT'S GOING TO BE?
I MEAN IT'S NOT JUST PAPER.
>> YOU'RE RIGHT, AND I DON'T THINK WE REALLY DO KNOW WHAT THE
EFFECT IS GOING TO BE. I MEAN WE CAN TRY TO THINK THROUGH THE
CHEMISTRY OF ALL THE MATERIALS, BUT WE DIDN'T DOCUMENT IT THAT
WELL, SO THE CONCERN WE HAD IS SORT OF REMOVING SOME OF THE
AGENTS THAT WOULD CONTINUE TO CAUSE DETERIORATION, SUCH AS OXYGEN.
AND IN THAT ENVIRONMENT, WE FEEL THAT WE'LL DO PRETTY WELL.
BUT NO, IT'S AN EXPERIMENT THAT'S GOING TO LAST 133 YEARS.
>>
Gary Walker: YOU KNOW, I THINK IF YOU ASK ANYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY,
YOU'RE GOING TO GET -- WELL, HOW MANY FOLKS ARE IN MONROE COUNTY,
730,000-PLUS? -- AT LEAST THAT MANY IDEAS ON WHAT WE SHOULD
PUT IN THE TIME CAPSULE. LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT
WE DID PUT IN THERE AND WHY. SOME OF THE PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY,
"WELL, WHY ISN'T THERE A PALM PILOT IN THERE," OR WINDOWS 98
OR WINDOWS MILLENNIUM OR A COPY OF SOFTWARE... WOULD THAT MATERIAL
NOT HAVE LASTED? WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>>
WELL, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF CONSIDERATIONS. ONE WAS -- WE HAVE
TALKED ABOUT THE COMPUTER-GENERATED, COMPUTER-RELATED MATERIAL.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE REALIZED IS THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE
TO PLAY IT OR USE IT NECESSARILY, AND THAT I THINK WAS ONE OF
THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE WANTED TO THINK WOULD HAPPEN. THEY WOULD
PUT A DISK IN AND SEE PICTURES OR SEE SOFTWARE, BUT THAT'S VERY
UNLIKELY, GIVEN THE RATE AT WHICH THOSE KINDS OF THINGS CHANGE.
>> Gary Walker: AND MAYBE BY THAT TIME WE'LL HAVE ALL THE BUGS
WORKED OUT OF THE OPERATING SYSTEM! (Chuckling) ALSO, MAYBE,
LEA, YOU CAN ADDRESS THIS, TOO. I THINK THE FIRST TIME CAPSULE
HAD SOME MATERIALS THAT I THINK HAD HISTORICAL RESEARCH VALUE
TO THEM, SUCH AS THE MUSTER ROLL FOR THE CIVIL WAR, TELLING
WHICH OF OUR LOCAL FOLKS WERE INVOLVED IN THE WAR. I'M WONDERING,
JUST LOOKING AHEAD, DO YOU THINK THAT TYPE OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH
WILL BE TAKING EFFECT IN 2134? DO YOU THINK THE NATURE OF THE
MATERIAL WE PUT IN THERE --
>>
WE'LL BE DOING A DIFFERENT KIND OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH. HISTORY
CHANGES. HISTORY CHANGES FROM HISTORY OF THE FAMOUS MEN, THE
MEN AT THE TOP, TO THE AVERAGE PERSON. SO SOCIAL HISTORY WILL
BE IN THAT TIME CAPSULE, AND HOPEFULLY THEY WILL BE LOOKING
AT THAT.
>>
Gary Walker: IT SEEMS LIKE THERE WAS A VERY CONSCIOUS EFFORT
ON ALL YOUR PARTS -- IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT FEEL TO THIS CAPSULE.
IT'S NOT SO MUCH JUST OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS; IT'S VERY MUCH PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE
MESSAGES. HOW AND WHY WAS THAT DECISION MADE?
>>
WE WERE STRUCK BY WHAT WAS NOT IN THE EARLIER TIME CAPSULE,
AND WE LIKED TO THINK -- IN FACT, WE KNOW THAT WE ARE MUCH MORE
INCLUSIVE AND THAT OUR CULTURE AND SOCIETY TODAY CUTS ACROSS
MANY MORE LAYERS THAN IT MAY HAVE DURING THAT PERIOD. SO WE
CONSCIOUSLY ENSURED THAT WE INCLUDED THE BROADEST POSSIBLE SPECTRUM
TO REPRESENT OUR SOCIETY OF TODAY.
>> Gary Walker: AND, Mr. WIEGANDT, I KNOW THIS IS KIND OF A
REVERSE PROCESS FOR YOU. YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THINKING
-- YOU'RE KIND OF REVERSE ENGINEERING WHAT YOUR CAREER HAS BEEN.
HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT THAT?
>>
WELL, IT MAY SEEM THAT WAY, BUT ACTUALLY MUCH OF MY WORK IN
DEALING WITH COLLECTIONS IS PRODUCING TIME CAPSULES FOR THE
LONG-TERM, I MEAN IN TERMS OF PRESERVATION WITHIN THE MUSEUM
CONTEXT. SO THIS WAS ONE THAT WAS JUST VERY -- MORE SPECIFIC
TO ONE VOLUME AND ONE GROUP OF MATERIALS. SO AS A CONSERVATOR,
YOU NOT ONLY DEAL WITH THE CONSERVATION OF PAST MATERIALS BUT
ALSO THE PRESERVATION OF MATERIALS FOR THE FUTURE. SO IT REALLY
IS CONSISTENT WITH WHAT I DO.
>>
Gary Walker: I WAS STRUCK BY THE ODDS AND ENDS AND THE DIFFERENT
THINGS THAT WERE IN THERE: AN EYELASH CURLER, A .44-MAGNUM BULLET.
I HOPE THAT LASTS! I MEAN I HOPE IT DOESN'T GO OFF IF THE PLACE
EVER BURNS! BUT THOSE FOUND OBJECTS, HOW DID YOU COME TO CONCLUSION
ON THAT? I'M SURE LIKE EVERYONE SAID, "PUT THIS IN THERE." WHAT
PROCESS DID YOU LOOK AT THERE IN SAYING, "WELL, MAYBE THAT SHOULD
GO IN"?
>>
WELL, I CAN ANSWER THAT SPECIFICALLY INSOFAR AS THE COMMITTEE
OF PEOPLE WHO WERE CHARGED WITH PUTTING THIS TOGETHER AND INCLUDING
ALL THE VOICES THAT WE WANTED IN THERE. WE SORT OF WENT AROUND
THE COMMITTEE AND CHOSE TEN OBJECTS THAT WERE SORT OF REPRESENTATIVE
AND HAD A DEMOCRATIC PROCESS WITHIN THE COMMITTEE TO COME UP
WITH SOME THREE-DIMENSIONAL SYMBOLS OF OUR TIME, METAPHORS,
WHATEVER, AND ALSO DO IT WITHIN A CONFINED SPACE. WE DIDN'T
WANT THAT TO OVERWHELM THE BOX BECAUSE IT'S REALLY THE MESSAGES
THAT ARE SO SIGNIFICANT. SO IT WAS REALLY THAT KIND OF PROCESS
THAT CAME TO THE ITEMS THAT -- THE FOUND OBJECTS, IF YOU WILL,
THAT MADE THEIR WAY INTO IT.
>>
Gary Walker: AGAIN, I AM STRUCK BY THE IDEA THAT THERE ARE MORE
OF THESE OUT THERE. AND, LEA, YOU MENTIONED ONE ALREADY. NOW,
THIS IS IN THE MONROE COUNTY OFFICE BUILDING, THE COURT BUILDING?
>>
YES, IT IS.
>> Gary Walker: DO WE KNOW WHERE IN THE BUILDING?
>>
YES. THEY KNOW WHERE IT IS. THEY CANNOT OPEN IT, THOUGH. WHEN
THEY BUILT THE BUILDING, THEY BELIEVED THAT WHEN THE BUILDING
CAME DOWN, WE COULD OPEN IT. THEY TRIED. WE DID HAVE AN EXHIBIT
THERE. THE ROCHESTER MUSEUM HAD AN EXHIBIT ON THAT TIME CAPSULE.
WE TRIED TO RECREATE SOME OF THE THINGS. ONE THING THAT WE KNOW
WAS IN THAT CAPSULE WAS A CATALOGUE FROM THE 1893 WORLD FAIR
IN CHICAGO WHEN ELECTRICITY WAS PRODUCED. THEY LIGHTED THE FAIR,
AND THAT MUST HAVE BEEN A GREAT THING.
>>
Gary Walker: WOW.
>>
SO THAT SAYS THAT THOSE PEOPLE FELT THAT ELECTRICITY WAS A WONDERFUL
THING. THERE WERE OTHER TIME CAPSULES. IN 1895, FREDERICK DOUGLASS
DIED, AND THE STATUE CAME ABOUT LATER ON. IN THE CORNERSTONE
OF THAT STATUE IS A TIME CAPSULE. I DON'T THINK THAT THEY HAVE
OPENED THAT YET. BUT THAT CONTAINS THINGS FROM SUSAN B. ANTHONY
--
>>
Gary Walker: REALLY?
>>
IT CONTAINS A LETTER AND IT ALSO CONTAINS A DECLARATION OF SENTIMENTS.
THE THINGS THAT WERE LEFT OUT OF OUR CAPSULE ARE IN THAT CAPSULE.
>>
Gary Walker: KIND OF LIKE THE ALTERNATIVE CAPSULE.
>> INDEED.
>>
Gary: WHY DON'T WE OPEN IT?
>>
I HAVE NO IDEA. MAYBE THAT'S THE NEXT CAPSULE WE OUGHT TO WORK
ON.
>>
Gary Walker: LORETTA AND RALPH, HOW ABOUT THAT? CAN WE OPEN
THAT NEXT?
>>
WE NEED TO SEEK SOME GUIDANCE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T VIOLATE
ANY COVENANTS THAT WERE ESTABLISHED WITH REGARD TO IT. BUT CERTAINLY
THAT'S SOMETHING WE'D LOOK INTO.
>> Gary Walker: THE DECLARATION OF SENTIMENTS, THAT WOULD HAVE
AN INCREDIBLE HISTORICAL VALUE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>>
Gary Walker: RALPH, LET ME ASK YOU THIS: WE HAVE DONE AN EXHIBIT
WITH THE 1873 CAPSULE. IS THERE GOING TO BE AN EXHIBIT FOR WHAT'S
IN THE NEW CAPSULE? HOW'S THAT GOING TO BE REPRESENTED IN THE
MUSEUM?
>>
WE'RE WORKING ON THAT. YES, WE WOULD LIKE TO -- THE TIME CAPSULE
EXHIBIT IS GOING TO BE RELOCATED IN THE MUSEUM IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
IT WILL STILL BE THERE, AND WE'RE GOING TO ADD A COMPONENT THAT
DOES TALK ABOUT THE NEW TIME CAPSULE. WE'RE WORKING ON EXACTLY
HOW THAT WILL FIT INTO THE EXHIBIT FORMAT.
>>
Gary Walker: I GUESS I HAVE TO ASK, EVERYTHING IS SO WELL PRESERVED
HISTORICALLY NOW. WE HAVE SO MANY DIFFERENT METHODS AND MEDIA
AND MUSEUMS AND WAYS TO DOCUMENT OUR TIME. ARE TIME CAPSULES,
I GUESS, AN ANACHRONISM NOW, OR IS IT THAT WE STILL HAVE THIS
JOY IN DOING IT, BUT IS IT REALLY SO MUCH PUTTING US ON THE
RECORD ANYMORE WHEN WE HAVE SO MANY OTHER WAYS OF DOING THAT?
>>
BUT THERE'S ALWAYS THE MYSTERY OF THE TIME CAPSULE. YOU KNOW
WHAT'S THERE, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT POPS UP THAT
WASN'T IN THE ORIGINAL LIST. IT'S A TANTALIZING THING, I THINK.
>>
Gary Walker: ALL RIGHT. I DO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR BEING
HERE TODAY AND TALKING ABOUT THIS. AND I GUESS WE'LL STAY TUNED
IN ANOTHER 133 YEARS AND SEE WHAT IT'S LIKE. AND PLEASE, THINK
ABOUT OPENING UP THE OTHER ONE. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT. WITH
THE GOVERNOR'S RACE JUST A FEW MONTHS AHEAD, WE'LL BE HEARING
A LOT FROM NEW YORK'S GOVERNOR GEORGE PATAKI, BUT WHAT ABOUT
OUR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, MARY DONOHUE? WXXI SAT DOWN FOR A ONE-ON-ONE
WITH THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR AND SHE TOLD US ABOUT HER LIFE,
HER JOB, AND HER PLANS FOR THE FUTURE.
>>
IT'S NOW MY PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE OUR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, MARY
DONOHUE.
(Applause)
>>
THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON AND WELCOME. I'M FROM A SMALL UPSTATE
COUNTY, AND I HAD BEEN A TRIAL LAWYER. I HAD BEEN IN PRIVATE
PRACTICE IN ALBANY FOR MANY YEARS, AND I WANTED TO BE DISTRICT
ATTORNEY. I WANTED TO USE MY LAWYERLY AND TRIAL SKILLS TO GIVE
BACK TO MY HOME COMMUNITY. BUT I WAS VERY HESITANT. THERE WAS
NO FEMALE COUNTY ELECTED -- COUNTYWIDE ELECTED OFFICIAL AT ALL,
MUCH LESS A MALE BASTION, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, THE D.A. I DIDN'T
KNOW WHETHER I WAS ELECTABLE. AND EVERYWHERE I WENT I FOUND
THAT GENDER WASN'T AN ISSUE AS LONG AS I TALKED ABOUT MY RECORD,
WHAT I WANTED TO DO, MY CONCERN AS A MOTHER ABOUT THE PLEA BARGAINING
THAT WAS GOING ON IN CASES AFFECTING CHILDREN, AND WHAT I WANTED
TO DO. AND IT WAS A VERY ENCOURAGING AND VERY IMPORTANT MOVE
AND MOMENT IN MY CAREER AND OBVIOUSLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW
THAT THE FEMININE ASPECTS WERE NEVER A CRIPPLING COMPONENT OF
MY PLATFORM OR WHAT I DID. WHEN I WOULD BE IN THE COURTROOM
TRYING A MURDER CASE, MY TEACHING SKILLS WERE OF GREAT VALUE
IN FRONT OF THOSE JURIES, AND MY WORK WITH CHILDREN WAS OF GREAT
HELP TO ME IN DEALING WITH CHILD VICTIMS, AND WE HAVE MANY VICTIMS
OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF CRIME WHO ARE WOMEN. MY TWELVE-YEAR-OLD
SON IS A STUDENT IN SEVENTH GRADE IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN NEW
YORK STATE, AND MY DAUGHTER SARAH, WHO'S A RECENT COLLEGE GRADUATE,
ALSO WENT THROUGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN NEW YORK STATE. SO, MOST
IMPORTANTLY, AS A PARENT, THE ISSUE OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE IS OF
THE UTMOST CONCERN TO ME AND WE HAVE TO DO OUR UTMOST TO ENSURE
THAT OUR SCHOOLS ARE AS SAFE AS THEY CAN BE AND NOT BE COMPLACENT
WITH THE COMPARATIVE SAFETY OF OUR SCHOOLS IN NEW YORK. IT'S
NOT JUST THE ACTUAL VIOLENCE THAT CAUSES DAMAGE, SCARRING AND
CONCERN FOR US; IT'S THE THREAT OF VIOLENCE, ISN'T IT? IT ISN'T
THE SCORE ON A TEST THAT MAKES OUR CHILDREN THE PEOPLE THAT
WE WANT THEM TO BE. IT'S WHO THEY ARE INSIDE AND THE PUBLIC
SCHOOLS ARE A PROPER FORUM FOR TRANSMITTING THE RESPONSIBILITIES
FOR THE COMMUNITY, THE RESPECT THAT WE NEED TO GIVE TO EACH
OTHER AS INDIVIDUALS. I'M VERY BUSY BEING LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR,
AND I'M VERY CHALLENGED AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE WAY IT IS
IN ELECTIVE OFFICE AND THANK GOODNESS I DO FEEL THAT WAY AND
THE GOVERNOR HAS GIVEN ME MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO DO MANY SUBSTANTIVE
INITIATIVES AND WE JUST GO WITH THE FLOW.
>> Gary Walker: AND I'M SURE WE'LL HEAR A LOT MORE FROM BOTH
THE GOVERNOR AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR AS THE RACE GETS CLOSER.
AS FOR TIME CAPSULES, I THINK WE HAVE LEARNED TONIGHT THAT THERE
ARE SEVERAL MORE OUT THERE, PERHAPS SOME WITH SIGNIFICANT CONTENT,
SO STAY TUNED FOR THAT BECAUSE THE ADVENTURE MAY CONTINUE. THAT'S
OUR PROGRAM FOR THIS WEEK. NEXT WEEK, "NEED TO KNOW" SITS DOWN
WITH THE COUNTY PARTY CHAIRS AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THEIR NEW
CANDIDATE NOMINATIONS. UNTIL THEN, I'M GARY WALKER. GOOD-BYE.
(Music)