UW Gazette, December 17, 1997
    
    And so UW's 40th anniversary year comes to an end, and
the organizers of the year's celebrations heave a sigh of
relief. But they're keeping one eye on the calendar, which
says it's just nine years until the beginning of what's sure
to be a major 50th anniversary celebration.
    Predictions for the year 2007 were collected at a
"campus-wide coffee break" December 2 and during the week
that followed.
    "All the submissions are now sealed," says Mary Stanley
of the library office, "and will not be opened until our
50th anniversary." Stanley headed the committee arranging
the "electronic time capsule", dubbed WatNext.
    She comments: "The 40th finale was an event that
attracted all facets of the campus community. It was a
pleasure to see students enjoying the coffee and pastries as
well as sitting at WatNext stations predicting the future.
It was a fitting end to a year-long celebration with a focus
on celebrating our campus community.
    "And a campus effort it was. Thanks to the computer
store, bookstore, IST, food services, graphic services and
all the volunteers involved."
    There's just one little uncertainty: with technology
changing at warp speed, how do you store data in 1997 and be
sure that it can be read in 2007? After all, if the same
thing had been done ten years ago, the medium of choice
could well have been paper tape.
    Stanley responds: "Carol Vogt of IST, who along with
Glenn Anderson set up the time capsule, is taking no
chances. The predictions will be stored in four different
formats: floppy disk, CD-ROM, 'attic' (an archival system),
and paper!"
    The coffee break two weeks ago was the last in a series
of major 40th anniversary events that began with a May 27
lecture by Dr. Ken McLaughlin, the university historian,
followed by a reception in honour of the university's
founders. In early June came the campus-wide "birthday
party", and the anniversary was shared with the Kitchener-Wa
terloo community at a larger party on the north campus July
1.
    This fall came "Business After 40" with the focus on
UW's business and technology connections, the "Pianoscapes
and Landscapes" performance in the Theatre of the Arts, and
the launch of McLaughlin's book Waterloo: The Unconventional
Founding of an Unconventional University.
    Along the way came any number of smaller celebrations,
and there was a 40th anniversary flavour to routine events
from Campus Day through convocation to Homecoming.
    The bookstore sold 40th anniversary souvenirs, and
thousands of copies of The Waterloo Adventure were
distributed. The Adventure booklet, a fast look at UW's past
and present in text and pictures, is still available at the
bookstore for $3 a copy.
    The anniversary year also provided the opportunity for
Simon, the troll who lives under one of the Laurel Creek
bridges, to make himself known as his reminiscences were se
rialized in the Gazette. Simon reaches 1989 in today's issue
and will presumably be heard from again in January and
February.