BROOKINGS — On Nov. 2, 1889, the state of South Dakota entered the union. In late September 1989, Brookings elementary schools — Medary, Hillcrest and Central — Brookings Middle School and Brookings High School celebrated the State Centennial with each school burying a time capsule, with an anticipated unearthing in 50 years.

Dignitaries present at Medary for that historical celebration, dubbed “Pioneer Day,” were Brookings Mayor Gail Robertson; the late Gov. George Mickelson; and the late Mel Thorne, with his covered wagon and yoke of oxen.

On Wednesday afternoon, 35 years after its burial, Medary students, staff, past and present teachers and several Brookings community dignitaries gathered on the school’s front lawn to view the contents of the capsule, which had been unearthed earlier.

For one teacher, the ceremony was especially meaningful: “I was here the day the capsule was buried in 1989 for our (state’s) centennial,” explained Jule Bullington, student success interventionist. “it was my first year of teaching and this is my last year of teaching, after 35 years.”

She knows what’s in the capsule and kept it a secret for all these years. She added that a few other people also know “but they might not know exactly what’s in it.”

Continuing, Bullington explained the why-now for digging up the capsule: “Medary School as we know it is having some construction, with a huge addition and this part will be demolished. There would (have been) a parking lot over the time capsule, so we decided this would be the right time to dig it up.”

She added that invited to the grand celebration were the mayor, the school board, the superintendent and past and retired teachers, some of whom were present when the capsule was buried.

One of those teachers, present at Medary in 1989 and now retired, in 2009, was Nancy Fixen: “It was a busy year; we all dressed up and went out and buried the time capsule. That was a lot of years ago.”

As to what went into the time capsule, she added, smiling, “I don’t remember; so I don’t have to keep it a secret.” 

In presiding over the gathering, Medary Principal Chris Gruenhagen thanked “the man,” Burdette “Boone” Posey, a treasure hunter and dowser from Bruce, as being “the man who helped find that time capsule.” He also thanked Medary teacher Suzy Gehring for finding Posey, who has a reputation for finding things underground. His business card reads: “The Search Continues; I find lost items of sentimental value, heirlooms, or treasure.” In a fashion, the Medary Time Capsule meets the criteria for all three.

Posey was able to narrow down the location of the capsule, which was buried about 4-feet-deep near the school’s flagpole. He and Gruenhagen then dug it up.

In attendance and representing the city was Brookings Mayor “Opeke” Ope Niemeyer. He proclaimed May 8, 2024, “Medary Time Capsule Day,” noting that “the time capsule buried beneath the hallowed ground of Medary Elementary serves as a testament to the spirit, hopes and dreams of our past teachers and students … and the passage of time has woven an industry of growth, change and progress marking a journey for us from the past as we chart our future. … It is fitting and proper that we gather in celebration and anticipation to reveal what is inside the time capsule.”

The principal then led the upstanding students and others in the assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance, after which the students sang the lyrics, while adding some individual locomotion, to “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”

Then, with a drum roll, some of the contents of the capsule were shown off by the principal. Some moisture may have seeped in over the years, but Bullington explained that nothing was really damage and was were dried off. While the importance of the capsule contents is in the eye of the beholder, some items could be considered as of more historical value than others.

“I would say the most important thing was the governor’s license plate: No. 1; the governor gets No. 1,” Bullington explained. “There was a DARE T-shirt in there. And it was fun to read a lunch menu.”

And proactive 4th- and 5th-graders had corresponded with the president and  South Dakota’s lawmakers in our nation’s capital: they received responses from Sen. Larry Pressler and Rep. Tim Johnson, at-large. And our nation’s chief executive also responded. 

“President (George H.W.) Bush sent stuff back (a photo and a letter),” she said.

Of local interest was a roster of the 600-plus students who attended Medary in 1989. Today that number is about 350.

Contact John Kubal at jkubal@brookingsregister.com.