Time capsule to be part of Truman VA’s 50th anniversary event

One of Columbia’s largest employers and health care providers will celebrate its 50^th anniversary this (Thursday) morning with a ceremony.

Harry Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital opened in 1972. A 10 o’clock ceremony will take place near the hospital’s main entrance. Truman VA staffers, former staff members, veterans and their families will be at the ceremony. The public can attend as well.

The hospital, which cost $15-million to build, opened in 1972, and President Gerald Ford signed bipartisan legislation re-naming it for former President Truman in 1975. Hospital officials will showcase a time capsule commemorating the 50th anniversary and the work they do at Truman VA.

One of the speakers will be Barney Sword, who worked there from 1974 to 1992. Mr. Sword will talk about what it was like to work at a brand-new VA facility.