About the Time Capsule
This handsome bronze portrait of Violet Richardson, was commissioned by Southwestern Region—which is now Founder, Sierra Nevada and Sierra Pacific Regions. The bronze portrait was dedicated on October 3, 1971, when over 1,000 Soroptimist's gathered at the 50th Anniversary “Pilgrimage to Oakland.”
The base of the bronze portrait is actually the time capsule and housed six cylinders wrapped in foil. We opened those cylinders and found the materials in good condition. The cylinders held newspaper articles of the event, event programs and transcripts, a copy of the region’s history, and letters of thanks and congratulations, including one from then California Governor Ronald Reagan.
The bronze portrait and time capsule were donated to SIA Headquarters in 1996 at the 75th anniversary celebrations in Oakland, where clubs and members were invited to share their messages to the future as well. Those messages, the 50th anniversary capsule histories, and other time capsule documents are available below.
From the 50th Anniversary Event
Newspaper clippings of October 3, 1971 “Pilgrimage to Oakland” event
Congratulations correspondence from members
Capsule club histories and prophecies-Coming soon!
From the 75th Anniversary Event
Coming soon!
Stay tuned as we reveal more materials from the time capsule!
Note: The time capsule that the 1994-1996 Region Governors filled during the 75th anniversary celebration at convention in Anaheim will be opened at our 2022 convention as we close out this anniversary year. So many exciting pieces of our history to share!