Furman unboxes its legacy within a 1993 time capsule

Furman University cracked open a treasure trove of memories 33 years in the making on Thursday, when university officials unveiled the contents of a time capsule buried in 1993.

As part of the Bicentennial Celebration, this capsule – sealed on April 14, 1993, by the Student Alumni Council – contained artifacts from Furman’s first year as an independent university following its separation from the South Carolina Baptist Convention. But for the alumni, students, faculty and staff gathered to see its contents, the items inside served as a connecting thread linking generations of Paladins.

To see the original master list of the time capsule’s contents, click here.

A conversation between two presidents

Gwinn Kneeland ’89 introduces Greg Haselden ’94, a former Student Alumni Council member who was part of the group that buried a time capsule in 1993 on Furman’s campus. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.

Former Furman President John Johns headed the university in 1993. In a letter buried among its contents, he addressed Furman’s future president, remarking on the unimaginable future we now live in.

“Just as students of today cannot imagine what it was like to attend college in the days before photocopying and computers, you will probably find our educational facilities somewhat primitive,” Johns wrote. But the buildings and classrooms aren’t what makes Furman great, it’s the people. The bonds forged at Furman last a lifetime, and Johns trusted that this foundation would still empower Paladins to tackle the challenges of 2026.

“President John Johns and the Board chose academic freedom even though it cost us financially and relationally. They did the hard thing because it was right,” said President Elizabeth Davis, reflecting on the events of three decades ago. “Furman has chosen courage for 200 years. Now it’s our turn.”

Building a strong foundation

Before Greg Haselden ’94 was the vice president for finance and CFO of Thornwell Home & School for Children and an adjunct accounting professor at Furman, he was a member of the student alumni council that buried the capsule outside the James B. Duke Library.

“We are all a part of Furman,” he said to the crowd gathered at the library steps. “Whatever may happen in our lives as individuals, we are all part of something bigger here for a time.”

Students, faculty and staff gather outside the James B. Duke Library on Feb. 12, 2026, to celebrate the opening of a time capsule buried by the university in 1993. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.

Furman’s legacy is an inheritance and a responsibility to Hannah Butlak ’26, earth and environmental sciences major and senior class representative. Students today are facing a world wrestling with the consequences of climate change, political division and rapid technological shifts.

“Luckily for us, we’ve all inherited 200 years of values, academic rigor and a legacy of service” that enable them not just to engage with the past but imagine a brighter future, she said.

Memories on display

Students, alumni and friends of the university crowded around display cases inside the library showing the items unearthed from the capsule. Melanie Armstrong ’94, associate director of networking and student connections, was taken aback seeing the old student ID’s and a T-shirt advertising “The Furman Advantage,” a familiar phrase that showed Furman’s longstanding dedication to engaged learning and mentoring.

Susan Patterson Robbins ’73 saw a VHS tape recording of the Students for Women’s Awareness. VHS tapes may have been common in 1993, but when she was a student there was a single television available in the campus student center they would gather around. Robbins had two children who went to Furman as well, and these items reminded her that Furman has maintained its integrity, independence and student focus all these years.

“It’s lovely to see so many alumni and current students connecting over these items,” said Jeffrey Makala, associate director for special collections and university archivist. “We see change over the decades, of course, but we also see continuity.

Rimes McElveen ’96 looks at a class photo he was in that was unearthed among other items in a time capsule buried on campus in 1993. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.

Like father, like son

Rimes McElveen ’96 didn’t expect to see himself in the time capsule’s contents, but inside the library he spotted his smiling face in a photograph, right beside a letter written by four of his friends on the Student Alumni Council.

His son, Luke McElveen ’26, was beside him, seeing his dad’s old college stories come to life in a display case. When Luke moved into Poteat Hall his room was two doors down from where his father stayed three decades earlier. They both worked as lifeguards on campus.

“It’s great to see Luke and his class flourishing in a different era and in a different way, but enjoying experiences like international study, internships and research,” Rimes said.

The students of today stand on the shoulders of past alumni, and Luke said future Paladins will build off of the legacy he and his classmates will leave behind.

“We don’t just get to look back longingly at our history, but we get to take these examples forward,” Luke said.

The contents of the time capsule are on display at the Duke Library, alongside a Bicentennial exhibition showing documents and artifacts of the university’s first 100 years. To learn more about Furman’s Bicentennial celebration and upcoming events, click here.