Miami Hurricane, October 15, 1976

              THE MIAMI HURKICAN
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Festivities Highlight UM's Fiftieth
Ashe Time Capsule
Was Never Filled
By DARY MATERA
Astiltont Ntwl Editor
The time capsule embedded in the
Ashe Building came up empty because the 1953 UM Homecoming
Committee never put anything in it.
Martin Rosen. World Finance
Corporation public relations director and the 1953 UM Homecoming
publicity chairman, explained why.
"We never got around to gathering enough things to put in the box.
The ceremony was already set, so
we just went through with it by
placing the empty box into the
hole," Rosen said.
"I thought it was all forgotten,
then I picked up a copy of the
Miami Herald Tuesday morning and
thought, uh oh. I've always kept
track of what was going on at UM,
but I didn't know a thing about this.
"We never thought anyone would
ever dig it up."
Rosen was not responsible for
gathering the material for the capsule, but since he was one of the 90
members on the Homecoming Com-
mitttee that year, he knew the
story.
That year's Homecoming chairman Buddy Wiesell is the man responsible, but he couldn't be located.
The time capsule was to contain
microfilm and tape recordings of
1953 Homecoming events, copies of
the Hurricane, a history of the University, a letter from then UM President Dr. Jay Pearson and local
newspaper accounts of the festivities.
"I don't even think we had microfilm back then," Rosen said. "They
had the letter from the President
and a few Hurricanes, but I think
that was about it These things
wers put in a scrapbopk instead."
^M had planned a nig schedule of
events centered around the opening
of the capsule at noon today. Included was to have been a concert
by UM's Chamber Singers, a speech
by President Henry King Stanford
and a gathering of many alumni
along with today's administration.
Local media coverage was also
planned. All these plans have now
been scratched.
UM was saved from public embarrassment when Student Activities Director Kay Whitten asked the
Physical Plant Tuesday to make the
capsule easier to open by loosening
the screws. When the screws were
taken off. "there was just nothing
there," Whitten said.
Until now, what happened to the
capsule had given rise to much
speculation. Assistant to the President Bryce Dunham said he thought
it got ripped off as some sort of fraternity prank or scavenger hunt
within a year or two after the capsule was sealed into the wall.
Chairman for the event Larry
Herrup. now called chairman of "a
hole in the wall," said it was probably stolen in 1954 or 1955 by pranksters and was never returned.
No one guessed that there was
never anything there in the first
place.
In 1927, a time capsule that was
to be opened on the University's
25th anniversary was placed in the
Merrick Building. During the depression, enterprising people came
along one night and dug up the cornerstone, with the misunderstanding that there was gold in there. All
the papers in this capsule were lost.
"We will do it again, but right
this time with a bronze plaque
welded securely over the face to insure that It'll be there in 2001 on
UM's 75ffi anniversary," Herrup
said
Mertiek Speaks At Cornerstone La\ in» I eh. 1. l')2o
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UM Has Come A Long Way
By ELENA SELEZ
01 Iht Hurr.cn. SUM
The University of Miami, when it
opened its doors to students 50
years ago today, had a long way to
go before reaching its present status
of the largest private institution of
higher learning in the southeast.
In the beginning years, UM did
not have its seven undergraduate
and four graduate and professional
schools spread across three modern
campuse<y nor its 18,000 students
from every state and more than 65
foreign countries.
In fact, It all started as nothing
more than Coral Gables Founder
George E. Merrick's dream of a university which would provide intellectual and cultural development
for his "City Beautiful." Other visionaries joined in Merrick's search
for a site and financial support for a
great university.
When Merrick offered 160 acres
and a gift of $.1 million, the dream
took on aspects of reality and a
state charter'was signed April 8,
1925, 21 days earlier than the incorporation of its home city of Coral
Gables.
The cornerstone laying of the
first classroom building which was
to be named in honor of Merrick's
father, Solomon, was a joyous event
for the 8,000 citizens who attended
Feb 4, 1926. But, seven months
later, on Sept. 18 the "great hurricane" stormed through the area, demolishing many buildings and many
hopes.
Set page 3
By ALAN MAR( I S
Editor
Various celebrations highlight the
University's Golden Anniversary
today including a gala banquet to he
held at the site of the old North
Campus
Today marks the fiftieth anniversary of the first M0 students to enroll in thp University
The North Campus DOW I park,
is located on University l)r behind
the Coral Gables Public Library.
The celebration, open to the community, will be held in a mammoth
tent and a replica of the old "Cardboard College" is being constructed
so that anyone attending the event
will have to walk through the replica.
The piogram opens with
cocktails at 6:30 and dinner (Chateaubriand) at 8 At 'I. I M President
Henry King Stanford, master of ceremonies, will make a speech Also
scheduled to speak is History Professor Emeritus l)r Charlton Te-
beau. Dr. Tebeau has compiled a
history of the University in a book
scheduled for release today entitled
The University Of Miami: A Golden
Anniversary History, 1926 to 1976.
Admission to the event which
will also feature the Chamber Singers and the Jazz Band is $12.50.
Further information and reservations can be made with the University's Alumni Association, x-2872.
On campus are a series of celebrations concluding with rock star
Frank Zappa in concert on the Patio
tomorrow.
Today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
there will be an anniversary party
in the Student Union. Free hot dogs
and ice cream cake will be served.
Following that, from 7 to 9 p.m..
will be a dance on the Patio sponsored by the Student Union Scheduled to appear are a 40-piece Afro-
American band.
As a finale to the celebration, the
Student Entertainment Committee
(SEC) will present Frank Zappa in
concert tomorrow afternoon at 3. A
valid UM ID isrffequired for admission.