In the fall of 1930, James M. Sweeney Jr. went down to the local drugstore and purchased a scrapbook. For the next four years, he chronicled his collegiate days at Xavier by pasting photos and clippings in the book. He put in football schedules, pictures of friends and campus, a memorial card for former University President Hubert F. Brockman, S.J., who passed away in 1931. There’s even his old ID card.

This book of memories became a miniature time capsule of sorts. This spring, it was discovered in the basement of the national alumni association offices, which were being torn down to make way for a new campus green space. A student worker discovered it while helping with the move.

“People who come into the office gravitate toward it and immediately start flipping through the pages,” says staff assistant Joan Thompson.