Oklahoma State University-Okmulgee student Matt Zimney, participating in the unearthing event of the 1957 Plymouth Belvedere, was a moment he and his classmates will remember forever.

“To have our pictures on the Internet and in the newspapers — I’ll be so proud 50 years from now when I’ll be able to show the pictures to my kids and say, ‘I was there when they unearthed the Belvedere in Tulsa in 2007,’” Zimney said.

The Chrysler Automotive Program students and instructor involved in “Tulsarama 2007” said they owe a big thanks to the event committee for making it possible for them to be part of such an historic moment. Student Matt Harkness had a wonderful time helping out.

“It was a great opportunity to take part in — whether the car was perfect or ugly, it was fun to be there,” Harkness said.

The students and their instructor played a prominent role in the recently publicized Oklahoma Centennial occasion — the unearthing of a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere buried 50 years ago in downtown Tulsa. It may be the one centennial event that attracted worldwide interest. It was attended by over 7,000 spectators and news media from the U.S. and numerous foreign countries, including England, Germany, Sweden, New Zealand and Brazil.

Students Zimney from Owasso, Harkness from Towner, Colorado, Marquis Cloud from Clinton, Missouri, and Chrysler Program instructor John Prior from Morris were on stage at the Tulsa Convention Center for the televised portion of the event. Tulsa's KOTV broadcast live Friday evening and covered the event on national networks, including CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC.

The OSU-Okmulgee students were invited to participate in the event by Joe Cappy, a retired executive who worked for Chrysler and was one of the event organizers.

“I knew that getting the car ready for the broadcast would be a hands-on opportunity, so I thought immediately of OSU-Okmulgee, which has a great automotive school with student technicians who would be extremely helpful to us," Cappy said.

Prior says that if the car had been in good condition, they were prepared to take a few steps to get it started.

Harkness said they prepared for the event by getting tetanus shots and rubber gloves.

“We discussed various scenarios in our classes in the Chrysler Automotive Service Program, and we tried to prepare for anything,” Harkness said.

Once unearthed, the Belvedere was covered with rust after water had seeped into the concrete vault over the years. Cloud said they didn’t expect to start the car but felt they could still help.

“We went there with the attitude that we were there to be of service – to do whatever we were asked,” Cloud said.

Prior said event organizers asked the students to roll back the car cover when it was unveiled for the live TV broadcast.

"It was exciting to know the crowd and television audience were anxiously watching to see what was underneath that cover — every inch of the car — as soon as we pulled the cover off," Prior said.

The students also polished a chrome bumper and uncovered the carburetor, which was a “mass of dusty, powdered aluminum,” according to Harkness.

The students also had the opportunity to meet Boyd Coddington, a hot rod builder and host of TLC’s television series, “American Hot Rod,” of which they have been fans for years. Coddington, his crew, and his wife attended the event, hoping to help get the car running. The students agreed Coddington and his crew were very pleasant to work with and were proud to call the men’s autographs on their OSU-Okmulgee shirts.

Steve Doede, OSU-Okmulgee Automotive Division Chair, says the students who participated in the event gained three essential things from the experience, which will enhance their education.

“It was a great opportunity for our students to be involved in ‘history-in-the-making’ — to play an important part in a major community event and to see what it’s like to be on a live television broadcast. They also now better understand how important the automobile industry is to the culture of our country," Doede said.

As for the 1957 Plymouth Belvedere, the students and instructor all agree they hope it gets donated to the Tulsa Historical Society to be kept on display for everyone to see and appreciate.