As computer-reliant people scurry to prevent the Y-2-K bug from biting when the new century arrives, a very low-tech problem is surfacing in Iowa grave yards. Some headstones are pre-engraved with names, birthdates and thefirst two digits of the death year — just 19 and a blank. That’ll be a bad mistake if the person doesn’t expire in the next nine months. DorisFlexsenhar manages Central Iowa Monument in Des Moines. She says most headstone engravers had the foresight not to carve 19’s into the stone. Flexsenhar says there are a few options for fixing such a boo-boo on boot hill, such as filling in the engraving. She says the wrong date couldalso be sandblasted away with the new date being engraved in the hollow.
