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| The Traveling Mendel High School ring |
| by Scott Buckner |
| Posted by |
2003-07-29 |
I cleaned the dirt away from the band and sure enough, inside were the initials CJF. (For a moment, the idea of looking twice to make sure CJF’s finger wasn’t in the bottom in the hole crossed my mind, but ...) I put the ring in my pouch and made my way home, where I cleaned it up and put it in the cardboard cigar box where I stow all my "keeper" finds. Over the next few days, I thought about what to do with the ring. Should I keep it or see if I could locate the owner and return it? I took the ring out of its onetime stogie home several times over the next week, admiring the intricate craftsmanship that went into creating it. But most of all, it was a big hunk of buffed gold that shined as seductively and proudly as anything I’d ever seen. I had found a few women’s gold rings beach hunting this summer, but they paled in comparison.
As I sat letting that wonderful, heavy ring travel over my fingers, I kept seeing one thing that told me the only right thing to do was give a serious try at finding the owner: the sides of the band were heavily worn -- so worn that the deep dimple pattern hammered into the band was ground smooth from years of wear. The owner had obviously kept the ring on his finger for many, many years after graduation, so it obviously had some great sentimental value -- especially when you consider most boys stow their high school rings in a box in the closet the minute summer’s over.
The question was: How to put a name with the initials? Usually, it’s easy to do this by going to the high school named on the ring and combing through yearbooks from that year kept in the school’s library, or by calling the school if it’s a good distance away. However, Mendel closed several years ago. So I turned to the Web to see if could find anyone from the Mendel class of 1961. People create all sorts of personal Web sites with all sorts of wacky information, so I figured chances were pretty good that I could find someone from the Class of ’61. And if I couldn’t, I only needed to find someone who graduated plus or minus three years of 1961.
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by Scott Buckner
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| comments |
| 2015-01-15 16:50 - mfb1942 | | It |
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| 2010-03-01 12:11 - dustykr | I lost my class ring less than 24 hours of getting it. A pair of brothers that lived next door to me saw me standing on a boat pier in McHenry, Illinois, and thought it would be funny if they pushed me into the water. As we wrestled around, I threw the first brother off the pier , and tragically when I threw the second one in, his hand grabbed onto my ring as he joined his brother. The ring landed in the lake. That was the last I saw of it. I have missed it for over fifty years. To this day I would replace it if I could. it meant so very much.
Ken Dust Class of 1956
Neskowin, Oregon |
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| 2010-02-22 15:45 - ddavis76 | My class ring was lost at the University of Chicago Press(they recruited several students to do book packing back in the day). Took it off to wash my hands and, of course, forgot about it until the next day at class. When I called the offices to see if anyone had returned it( suprise, suprise) no one had. So, I'm STILL hoping that it will turn up.
Derrick Davis '76 |
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| 2009-06-11 17:45 - jriordan | | Still have my ring...looks brand new because I gave it to Kathy DeMiere a day after I got it. Kathy was the Homecoming Queen in 1962 and we married in 1966...four kids and thirteen grandkids later...we got a good laugh looking at the ring with the wax inside and angora still around it....Jim |
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| 2009-05-19 15:23 - MendelBoy | Sad to say I lost my Mendel ring at West Pullman park pool where it was stolen out of my pants pocket in a locker that I unfortunately did not have a lock on back in ' 64. Since I only had since '62, I sure wish I would have had a lock on that locker
.I have met many Mendel guys over the years by recognizing the old ring.
Brian Marton '62 |
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| 2006-05-10 19:57 - alevy015 | MY RING WAS LOST SOMETIME AROUND 1985 IN URBANA, IL. IT WAS A WHITE BIRTHSTONE FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL. IF BY SOME STRANGE MIRACLE IT TURNS UP IN THIS LIFETIME OR THE NEXT.....LET ME KNOW.
ANTHONY E. LEVY
CLASS OF 1983 |
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| 2005-07-15 15:20 - chazglenn3 | I too lost my class ring via the US Military. Mine tuned up missing during basic training in the Air Force in 1982.
Charles Walsh, Class of 1980
Tacoma, WA |
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| 2005-06-23 11:36 - CPD9102 | LOST MY RING THE FIRST SUMMER OF GRADUATION, 1963.
PUT IT IN MY GOLF BAG WHILE PLAYING GOLF AT
"PIPE 'O PEACE" GOLF COURSE. AFTER THE ROUND I DISCOVERED A HOLE IN THE BAG POCKET AND MY RING WAS NOW SOMEWHERE OVER THE 18 HOLES EXPANSE.
PROBABLY CHEWED UP BY THE MOWER.
I SURE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IT BACK........
LEE ZALALIS 1963 |
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| 2004-12-22 20:46 - rbhecker | | I went back to Chicago in 2002 to honor my parents' graves and visited my old home on 11431 Washtenaw Avenue. The current owners were quite gracious when I introduced my self and they mentioned that they had found a 1969 Mendel ring in the flower beds about ten years ago! - obviously mine! The sad story is that they contacted "someone" who knew "someone" who had attended Mendel and they passed off the ring to "them". What are the chances it will turn up again? ... and all of this tme I thought Andrea Alleman held it close to her heart! I actually called "the soon to be grandma Andrea" tonight and she and her husband had a good chuckle on hearing the story. Oh, the luck of the "half Irish" from Saint Cajetan's Parish. Doc Hecker - San Antonio TX. |
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| 2004-04-04 16:28 - Petes | I am a '63 graduate and still have my Mendel ring safely enclosed in a box.
Pete Seiler |
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| 2003-11-25 14:42 - hameetman | This story has inspired me to search out my belongings for my class ring. One thing I do remember, during an animated discussion with my girlfriend, the ring was tossed to the ground and broke the stone. (Is that warranteed, too?). I know I found it than, but I'm not sure where I put it next. I will continue my search. Ah, youth!
Ron Hameetman, Class of 1962
Fox River Grove, IL |
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| 2003-11-20 18:12 - fleshwm | I love this story. I'm an 85' Mendel Man, and I know own a franchise of Jostens Class Rings. I'm going to utilize this story in my meeting's with the students. Another ironic part of this story is that my office is in the Roseland area.
I'm located down the street from Mendel at 517 W. 111th st. If there is anyone else out there who still has your ring, don't forget it came with a life-time warranty. We can resize it, re-do it make sure you take advantage of this.
Flesh 85' |
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| 2003-11-14 16:33 - PGKOKO | My own Class ring (Mendel 1958) was stolen at the Army Induction Center at Ft. Knox, KY in September 1963. My bag was cut open and my Class Ring, Watch, etc. removed. Of course, the Army denied any responsibility, and I never saw it again. Should it ever turn up. I'd sure like to have it back.
Paul Koko, Class of 1958
Oak Park, IL |
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