kenb
Bronze Member
To be opened tonight.
GALEN CULVE REPORTING
TULSA -- On June 15th, 1957 city leaders in Tulsa celebrated Oklahoma's 50th birthday by burying a brand new car. A Plymouth Belvedere and some other odds and ends were placed in a time capsule beside the county courthouse not to be opened until 2007. On Friday night that car will roll out.
Galen Culver went to see the preparations and talk to one family in Tahlequah who wouldn't miss this treasure hunt for anything. Undisturbed for almost fifty years diggers on Tuesday worked more like archeologist to make sure nothing went wrong with the treasure locked inside this big cement box. Already the curious are gathering.
Kevin Swimbley and Justin Anderson have been saving up in England for two years to see this.
Says Swimbley, "How many people come around the world to see a car get dug up out of the ground, really?"
But Jo lemonds and her children including Paula have been waiting ever since 1957 when city leaders decided to bury a brand new Plymouth Belvedere to unearth in 2007.
Jo Lemonds says, "At that time 50 years seemed so far in the future."
There were hundreds of people on hand at the courthouse that day, but it was a crane operator named Jim Lemonds who actually put the car in the hole. A veteran of Normandy Beach and by nature a quiet man, Jim didn't even tell his family about that day until pictures arrived in the mail a few days later.
Lemonds says, "So then he told us about it. It was just another day at the office for Jim."
Jo and Paula and the rest of the Lemonds family would like to have heard more of Jim's stories, but two years after he put the car in the ground, Jo had to bury him. A heart attack claimed his life at 35.
Daughter Paula says, "My brother and sister would come in. We would all get together. Every time we did we would get the pictures out of my dad and the Belvedere."
For fifty years they've waited; looking at the picture from time to time and saying hello when the old film clips started resurfacing. When another crane operator lifts the lid and everyone looks inside, the Lemonds will be there wearing special t-shirts and remembering the man who buried it in the first place.
In Tulsa and Tahlequah I'm Galen Culver NewsChannel 4. Is this a great state or what!
Sixteen members of the Lemonds family will be on hand for the official time capsule opening, but there's another reason. Jim Lemond's son plans to get married outside the courthouse sometime Friday afternoon.
It has been reported that water has contaminated the "car-capsule." and there may be damage to the vehicle.
http://www.kfor.com/global/story.asp?s=6659720
kenb
GALEN CULVE REPORTING
TULSA -- On June 15th, 1957 city leaders in Tulsa celebrated Oklahoma's 50th birthday by burying a brand new car. A Plymouth Belvedere and some other odds and ends were placed in a time capsule beside the county courthouse not to be opened until 2007. On Friday night that car will roll out.
Galen Culver went to see the preparations and talk to one family in Tahlequah who wouldn't miss this treasure hunt for anything. Undisturbed for almost fifty years diggers on Tuesday worked more like archeologist to make sure nothing went wrong with the treasure locked inside this big cement box. Already the curious are gathering.
Kevin Swimbley and Justin Anderson have been saving up in England for two years to see this.
Says Swimbley, "How many people come around the world to see a car get dug up out of the ground, really?"
But Jo lemonds and her children including Paula have been waiting ever since 1957 when city leaders decided to bury a brand new Plymouth Belvedere to unearth in 2007.
Jo Lemonds says, "At that time 50 years seemed so far in the future."
There were hundreds of people on hand at the courthouse that day, but it was a crane operator named Jim Lemonds who actually put the car in the hole. A veteran of Normandy Beach and by nature a quiet man, Jim didn't even tell his family about that day until pictures arrived in the mail a few days later.
Lemonds says, "So then he told us about it. It was just another day at the office for Jim."
Jo and Paula and the rest of the Lemonds family would like to have heard more of Jim's stories, but two years after he put the car in the ground, Jo had to bury him. A heart attack claimed his life at 35.
Daughter Paula says, "My brother and sister would come in. We would all get together. Every time we did we would get the pictures out of my dad and the Belvedere."
For fifty years they've waited; looking at the picture from time to time and saying hello when the old film clips started resurfacing. When another crane operator lifts the lid and everyone looks inside, the Lemonds will be there wearing special t-shirts and remembering the man who buried it in the first place.
In Tulsa and Tahlequah I'm Galen Culver NewsChannel 4. Is this a great state or what!
Sixteen members of the Lemonds family will be on hand for the official time capsule opening, but there's another reason. Jim Lemond's son plans to get married outside the courthouse sometime Friday afternoon.
It has been reported that water has contaminated the "car-capsule." and there may be damage to the vehicle.
http://www.kfor.com/global/story.asp?s=6659720
kenb
