Mancini contacted Action News and with a little help from the Internet we tracked down the man who buried the time capsule.
Gerald W. Sykes was a 19-year-old airman second class stationed in Germany and home on leave when he buried 3 or 4 capsules as a hobby. None of them were ever found until now. The capsule contained 1948 fire crackers, a stick of gum, Sykes Air Force I.D. and a faded note. Struggling to read it Sykes caught references to his pets, parents who owned a nearby farm and future plans.
Sykes even marked a tree to help find the capsule.
Mancini gladly gave the find to Sykes who plans to put them in a frame. The two men chatted for quite some time about metal detecting and time capsules, two hobbies separated by half a century.
