A time capsule placed behind the cornerstone of the student center at Hoquiam High School the day it was dedicated — Nov. 9, 1968 — was opened exactly 50 years later by members of the Class of 1969 on Friday.

Former Hoquiam City Councilman John Pellegrini removed the bronze cornerstone plate, installed by the Hoquiam Masonic Lodge 50 years earlier. The time capsule was wheeled into the high school gym, where students, members of the Class of 1969 and even alumni from as far back as 1943 and 1944 watched Pellegrini open the metal box and empty its contents for the first time in a half century.

Inside were copies of The Daily World, a 1968 Hoquiam High School student handbook — complete with the dress code of the day — and a copy of the roster of the local Masonic Lodge from that year, among other items. The banner headline in the copy of The Daily World read, “LBJ gives Nixon White House briefing,” and a photo of the front entrance of the newly dedicated high school was featured underneath.

The Class of 1969 then offered the current Class of 2019’s graduating seniors the opportunity to place their own items in the time capsule, which will be resealed behind the cornerstone plate and opened in 2069.