Simply Ledyard CT

It occurred to me yesterday morning that my memories of 1976 are not that clear and I wondered if we weren’t expecting too much from the memories of children. The press and photographers were hoping for a story about the opening of a time capsule buried in 1976 but it turned out instead to be a story of memories shared.

I was surprised when I arrived at the old Gales Ferry School to find that there were already so many people gathered for the big dig. Lisa Weber greeted me with, “You know we don’t care if we actually find it.”  I didn’t initially understand what she was saying but it didn’t take me very long to realize that people didn’t seem all that interested in finding the capsule as in making old connections. At one point Mark Bancroft, the Mayor’s Assistant along with Town Counselors Mike France and Kevin Dombrowski were concentrating on a particular location with shovels and a metal detector but almost no one was paying attention. Instead they were reminiscing about happy times at the former school. The reporting by Anna Isaacs of  the Day captured it best.

Davis had feared this would all end up the way of Geraldo Rivera and Al Capone's vault. But as the crowd dispersed, reminiscing happily, catching up, no one seemed all that disappointed.

No one cares, (Lisa Dreimiller) Weber reiterated.

They didn't find a time capsule, but they found each other.

5th grade teacher Fran Plotnik and long time secretary Ruth Boucher greet each other after many years. Teacher Stu Sharack in the background.

When it became clear that the capsule wasn’t going to be found, many of those that attended took the opportunity to visit the old school which has been converted by the town to a business incubator and home to the Southeastern CT Regional Resource Recovery Authority. 

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The 1976 Time Capsule at the old Gales Ferry School