Allan Hancock College recently enjoyed a special celebration.
The school rang in its Centennial Celebration on Sept. 23. Current and former college administrators and faculty members gathered to open the school’s 75th anniversary time capsule.
“Opening the time capsule was a wonderful way to celebrate 100 years of changing the odds for our students,” Hancock Superintendent and President Kevin G. Walthers said in a statement. “Hancock is a great place, and we are very proud to be able to share a piece of AHC’s history and legacy with our community.”
The time capsule was buried on the Santa Maria campus in 1995 and contained a number of interesting items connected to the college’s history.
Items inside the capsule included photos of the campus, printed brochures and other promotional materials for the school’s clubs and programs, as well as buttons, pins, and other materials from the college’s 75th anniversary, the year the capsule was buried.
Special guests at the event included former Hancock Superintendent and President Ann Foxworthy Lewellen.
“When we buried this time capsule, we wanted to let people in the community know how important the college was and the role it played for the citizens in the college district,” she said in a release. “We wanted to capture a slice of this moment in 1995, and it has been fun reliving that time.”
Ms. Foxworthy Lewellen was the school’s president when the time capsule was buried some 25 years ago.
Other guests at the event included Hancock ASBG President Daryl Christensen and history professor Roger Hall. For Mr. Christensen, the capsule brought back fond memories of his time at Hancock.
“For me, it was incredible to see the old photos of the faculty and staff and students who were here at the time,” he said. “It’s really been great to see this and reminisce about what it was like 25 years ago.”
Hall reflected on the advances in technology on campus since the capsule was buried.
“As someone who teaches history, it’s nice to be part of history occasionally,” Mr. Hall said in a release. “What struck me about looking at these artifacts was how much of what we did was paper-based. So much of the technology we used has changed in the last 25 years.
“Whatever the technology is, on paper or online, the mission of trying to get people to where they want to be is still the great joy of this process and being a part of this college and this community.”
The event marked the official start to the college’s Centennial Celebration. The celebration will commence with the commencement of Hancock’s 100th graduating class in May 2021.
email: gfall@newspress.com
