National Chief, Vice Chief unseal time capsule from 75th Anniversary

By Gerald Fraas

In honor of the centennial anniversary, a time capsule sealed in 1990 was opened on Tuesday.  Read about the historical items found inside.

Arrowmen had the unique opportunity to meet 50 years of national OA chiefs and vice chiefs on Tuesday. More than 30 chiefs and vice chiefs attended. The group discussed their time as national officers, took photos and signed sashes. Throughout the afternoon, hundreds of Arrowmen filed through the legacy display tent at The Hub to meet these distinguished leaders. In addition to the national officer reunion, the Goodman Edson Observatory (GEO) had a ceremony for the opening of a time capsule sealed at the 1990 NOAC.

Alex Call, 2015 national chief, and Donnie Stephens, 2015 national vice chief, opened the time capsule with John Meckley, 1990 national chief, and Tony Steinhardt, 1990 national vice chief. The nearly 200 Arrowmen in attendance were given a first-hand perspective of the OA as it was in 1990.

Kevin Rudesill, a staff member with the GEO, was involved with the creation of the 1990 time capsule.

“I was on special events staff and worked for Clint Takeshita, who was the Special Events conference vice chief, in charge of the entire 75th Anniversary celebration,” said Rudesill. “We coordinated the time capsule at the Founder’s Day, where we received donations on behalf of lodges from around the country.”

Those donations included a diverse group of items. More traditional items, like ball caps, event training scripts and event patches were included but several items stood out as being particularly unique. Steinhardt placed his business card in with the message of “Happy 100th Birthday!” Now the lead adviser for NOAC 2015 special events, Steinhardt was shocked to see his message 25 years later. “I had forgotten all about it! It was a surprise,” said Steinhardt.

Also inside was a Toyota/Yokohama advertisement, a painted banner of the 75th anniversary totem and a small Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toy with a note alluding to the future of the OA tucked inside of it. This note, as well as all of the other donated items inside the time capsule, allows the Order of today, celebrating its 100th birthday, a view into the minds of the OA of 1990, celebrating its 75th.
Dylan O’Brien, 2015 special events conference vice chief, hopes Arrowmen realize the significance of the National Officer Reunion and time capsule. “This event truly represents what we stand for as an Order, preserving our history while fashioning a new future for ourselves.”