Why is this in the cycling forum?
I imagine that if the same pillar of time has been up since 1981, if there are any dates on it they are wildly incorrect as well. I'm not defending the mistake, but it wouldn't be that big of a deal to most geologists or paleontologists unless they work in rocks of that age.
Leaving it up for 28 years and misspelling the kids name and town are inexcusable, however. They're scientists, and they should be paying attention to detail more than the average person.