07 November 2024 | 22:57

47-year-old lost ring returned to owner after discovery in Barbados

Photo: Morgan Perigo

Tengrinews.kz - A ring lost in the ocean 47 years ago has unexpectedly been returned to its owner. A diver discovered the long-lost piece of jewelry off the coast of Barbados.

Morgan Perigo, a graduate of McMaster University, had long come to terms with the idea that he would never see his ring again. It had fallen into the ocean during a trip to Barbados in 1977, when he was vacationing there with his wife and two young sons.

"I went into the ocean with my younger son. A wave knocked him over, and as I tried to steady him, he pulled me by the hand, and my university ring slipped off. We tried to find it, but without success," recalls 83-year-old Perigo in a letter.

The ring, which commemorated Perigo’s graduation from the Faculty of Science in 1965, is believed to have rested at the bottom of the ocean for many years until it was found by Alex Davis, a professional diver. He located the ring using a metal detector.

Hoping to return the find to its rightful owner, Davis contacted McMaster University, sending photos of the ring.

"I found a ring with the McMaster University crest and three initials inside. I discovered the jewelry with a metal detector in Barbados and suspect it had been there for a long time," Davis reported.

According to the university's website, Davis’ letter reached Laura Escalante, a staff member in the alumni office, who took on the task of solving the mystery with just two clues engraved on the slightly tarnished ring: the year 1965 and the initials FMP. After some investigation, Escalante traced the ring back to mathematician Frederick Morgan Perigo.

She contacted him by email, and Perigo confirmed the ring was his.

"This is unbelievable news," he wrote in response.

Escalante then coordinated the process, connecting Perigo with Davis and facilitating the return of the ring. She describes it as one of the happiest moments in her career and says the story has touched the hearts of McMaster alumni.

Perigo, now reunited with his long-lost ring, expressed his gratitude to Davis and Escalante.