Charles Esther:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/class-ring-found-087081425-3462caaaae634ea29d1c440fa6203dce.jpg?resize=750,500&ssl=1 "Long Island Man Finds Lost Fordham Class Ring After 55 Years")
Al DiStefano, 77, lost his cherished Fordham class ring in the Long Island Sound while hanging out on a Cedar Beach pier back in May 1969.
At the time, the 21-year-old paid $110 for the gold ring set with a garnet stone and couldn’t afford a replacement.
“It was a nice ring,” DiStefano told the New York Post. “It was important to me. I probably should have spent a little more time looking for it.”
Discovery by Metal Detector Enthusiast
Fast forward over 55 years later, Long Island resident Dave Orlowski was sweeping Cedar Beach with a metal detector when he got a strong signal in the sand near waist-deep water.
“I was digging, digging, digging. When I pulled up the ring, I couldn’t believe the size and condition,” said Orlowski, 56.
Orlowski, who has spent 25 years collecting gold and silver finds, admitted he briefly considered keeping the ring, estimating its value at around $2,000 due to its white gold palladium composition.
Deciding to Return the Ring
Despite the potential value, Orlowski’s wife, Denise, convinced him to return it to the rightful owner.
“She told me it would be bad karma to keep the ring since we had the name of the person inscribed,” Orlowski said. “She asked me if I’d want my ring back in that situation, and that answered my question.”
Locating the Owner
Orlowski found a Fordham Class of 1969 Facebook group and contacted the administrator, Karen Manning, who helped connect him with DiStefano.
“David made me feel good about people again for going out of his way to try to find the owner,” Manning told the Post.
DiStefano Reunited With His Ring
DiStefano, now a retired oncologist living in Texas, was shocked and delighted when he learned his ring had been found.
“Once in a blue moon, I’d think about the ring having a nice life at the bottom of the Sound,” he said.
Orlowski mailed the ring, and DiStefano received it less than a week later.
“It’s in marvelous condition. I’m wearing it now. I figured I ought to make up for lost time,” he said.
Expressing Gratitude
DiStefano has thanked Orlowski profusely and plans to send him gifts from Texas as a token of appreciation for returning the long-lost ring.
