Man reunited with Fordham class ring 56 years after losing it in the Long Island Sound
MOUNT SINAI, Long Island (WABC) -- After more than five decades, a man was miraculously reunited with his Fordham University class ring after accidentally dropping it in the Long Island Sound.
You never know what treasure might be buried under the sand, but David Orlowski can find out. He scans Cedar Beach as a hobby, often striking gold.
"Some things you can't explain how they got there," Orlowski said.
It's easy to explain how someone could lose a ring in the cold Long Island Sound.
"They go in the water, shrinks your hands, and off your ring goes," Orlowski said.
He's found lots of rings, but most of them aren't personalized like the Fordham University class of 1969 ring with a name inscribed in it.
Orlowski was in up to his knees at low tide when he made the discovery.
"I got a good hit on the metal detector, and I dug for it and it was very deep," he said. "It was probably like a foot and a half deep, and I just kept digging and finally it came out."
A few days later in Texas, Dr. Alfred DiStefano asked his letter carrier to document him opening the delivery he heard he would be getting. A delivery with the class ring he had been without for 56 years... far longer than the time he'd had it.
DiStefano remembers being on a dock or a pier when the 14K white gold ring slipped into the water. DiStefano says it was just a little too big, and that's how it slipped off.
The closest dock now is about half a mile away, but it's possible there was one here or closer all those years ago.
"When you think of continents moving over hundreds of millions of years, you know, a little ring could move over 50 years, half a mile," Dr. DiStefano said.
It's back on his hand after being mailed 1,600 miles, thanks to a Fordham class of 1969 reunion Facebook group.
Orlowski's message reached moderator Karen Manning, who was so impressed that he wanted to find the ring's owner.
"He could have just sold it, and made some money on it, but, it restored my faith in humanity," Manning said.
Orlowski credits his wife.
"She says, 'well, if you lost your ring, wouldn't you want it returned?' And so, right. The question, answered," Orlowski said.
His wife called it karma.
DiStefano says the reunion with this long lost treasure and the memories it unlocked, was even better than that.
"I consider it a miracle, since it happened," he said.
The ring cost $110 in 1969. It was too expensive to replace it and he didn't want to tell his parents he'd lost it even before he graduated. So, he never replaced it. Gold was $41 an ounce then. It's now close to $3,500.
DiStefano has mailed a package of thank you gifts to Orlowski, who doesn't know about that yet.
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