2022 GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL FOR THE HUMANITIES CLASS BURIES TIME CAPSULE JUNE 28
2022 GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL FOR THE HUMANITIES CLASS BURIES TIME CAPSULE
JUNE 28
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin Governor’s School for the
Humanities 2022 class buried a time capsule June 28 in front of the Boling University Center.
The capsule is the first in the program’s history and contains artifacts from each of the 53
students and the faculty members involved with the program.
Bebe Falkner, a rising junior from Murfreesboro, came up with the idea while working on
a story about GSH alumni. When she pitched the idea to her classmates that participated in the
program’s newspaper, the idea was a hit.
“I got the opportunity to meet (alumni), and it was like they were unpacking an oral time
capsule to me,” Falkner said. “I got so fascinated with the history of GSH that I wanted to
become part of it.”
Falkner suggested the idea to other students who worked on the program’s newspaper
and to Dr. Jerald Ogg, professor of mass media and strategic communication and director of the
Governor’s School for the Humanities. From there, Ogg served as the liaison between the
students and other university officials to determine if the time capsule was possible
“I think it is an absolute perfect fit for humanities,” Ogg said. “After all, we’re the ones
who celebrate community. We’re the ones that capture culture. We love history, and again, if
you’re a humanities person, you have to love the idea of capturing something. This month’s been
so special for all of us.”
The students filled a PVC pipe, which was donated by the university’s Physical Plant,
with souvenirs like photos, name tags, drawings and other mementos from their time at
Governor’s School. Students also individually shoveled soil to help bury the time capsule. The
capsule will be reopened in five years, which is when the students will have graduated from
college.
The Governor’s School for the Humanities is a four-week summer program that offers
rising high school juniors and seniors an opportunity to earn three semester credit hours and
experience a collegiate environment. The program began in 1986 and is the oldest Governor’s
School program in Tennessee.
For more information, go to https://www.utm.edu/departments/govschool/ or contact Ogg
at eogg@utm.edu or 731-881-7579.
