A Calgary construction crew working on a building at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) recently made a sentimental discovery.
On Dec. 1, workers found a package rolled up underneath the steps of SAIT’s Heritage Hall, which is being restored in preparation for its centennial anniversary next year.
“Our contractor lifted (the stair) and found the package deep underneath, next to the foundation,” said Michelle Fernandes with SAIT.
“It looked like a subway sandwich, wrapped in craft paper with lots of question marks all over it.
“We knew that somebody had left it their purposefully… and we when we opened it we discovered who that man was.”
Inside the box they discovered legion and auto magazines, as well as a centennial dime taped to a piece of paper and a newspaper dated Sept. 23, 1968.
The owner of the box had also left his name, Donald Kitiuk, a former SAIT instructor and bricklayer.
“He also worked for Alberta Public Works, he was a history buff and he was in the military and we know there’s a strong military history with Heritage Hall,” Fernandes said.
The package had been addressed to Kitiuk’s son, William, who was just three years old in 1968 and SAIT officials didn’t have to go too far to track William down.
“It seemed pretty important that this property get back to William,” Fernandes said. “Our search kind of picked up with our alumni and development (team) and our archivist trying to find out who William was.
It turns more than five decades later, William Kitiuk had followed in his father’s footsteps and was a part-time teacher at SAIT.
“He had his hands on a lot of these buildings and he loved these buildings,” William said. “We were going by (SAIT), maybe when I was 12 years old, and dad told me they put something under the steps here and said, ‘Don’t be surprised if you get a call here one day.’
“That’s a pretty amazing Christmas present to get 53 years later,” William said.
Sadly, Kitiuk passed away in 1987 but William believes his dad tucked away more treasure around the city that’s still waiting to be discovered.
“My mom was telling me she got a call from the Remand Centre and they had found a bunch of papers in the walls of the Remand Centre,” William said. “I think we’ll find a lot more of these things in years to come.”
William and his family hope to keep their father’s spirit alive and plan to hide the box after they’re finished looking through its contents.
“My hope is that in years to come they’ll be working on some other old buildings and they’ll find some more goodies,” William said. “Stay tuned.”
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