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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2015)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 COMMUNITY Hermiston grad reunited with class ring 20 years after it was stolen home with him, knowing that someone would potentially HERMISTON HERALD want it back. Hermiston High School “He brought these things class of 1987 graduate Lisa home and showed them to 0HUUL¿HOG WKRXJKW KHU ++6 my daughter,” Cima said. class ring was gone forever “He said, ‘You know, seems after it was stolen more than like somebody would want 20 years ago. that.’ He said, ‘My mom is a 0HUUL¿HOG VDLG VKH OHIW good detective and might be her class ring, in addition to DEOHWR¿QGRXWZKRLWEHORQJV her wedding ring and other to and how it ended up there.’ jewelry, in her purse in her ” car while playing in a local Cima said she had the ring softball game back in 1992 IRUDIHZZHHNVWU\LQJWR¿J- or 1993 when she was in her ure out how she would locate early 20s. When she returned the owner, but eventually for- to the car later that day, she got about it. When she was discovered it had been broken going through some things into and her purse and its con- last month, she found the ring tents, including her class ring, once again. Cima tried to log were gone. onto classmates.com and oth- “I haven’t seen it since er reunion websites to search somewhere in that time peri- for the owner based on the od,” she said. engraved initials LKB on the A couple of weeks ago, inside, but had no luck. KRZHYHU0HUUL¿HOGUHFHLYHG “I ended up calling the a Facebook message from high school, and the lady in Hermiston School District WKHPDLQRI¿FHDW+HUPLVWRQ librarian Delia Wallis ask- transferred me to Delia Wal- ing her if her initials in high lis,” she said. “I spoke with school were LKB and if she 'HOLD 7KH IURQW RI¿FH ODG\ was missing her Hermiston said she had been in Herm- High School class ring. iston for some time and had Wallis had received a call access to school year books.” from Portland resident Carol Wallis said she located Cima, whose son-in-law, Luis 0HUUL¿HOGDIWHUVSHDNLQJZLWK Rodriguez, had found the ring some of her friends who grad- while at his job at a wrecking uated from Hermiston High yard in Portland. Cima said School who had younger sib- Rodriguez is allowed to keep OLQJV ZKR ZHUH 0HUUL¿HOG¶V any personal items found in age in school. Wallis herself the cars before they are de- had graduated from Hermis- stroyed. Rodriguez found ton High School a few years the ring in one of the vehi- EHIRUH0HUUL¿HOG:DOOLVVDLG cles, and he decided to take it all of her friends’ siblings con- BY MAEGAN MURRAY MAEGAN MURRAY PHOTO Hermiston School District librarian Delia Wallis helped Port- land resident Carol Cima locate the owner of a 1987 Hermiston High School class ring that had the letters LKB engraved on it. The ring has since been returned to original owner Lisa 0HUULÀHOGZKRVHPDLGHQQDPHZDV%DOODUG year. She said she will cherish the ring even more knowing that her mother purchased it for her, in addition to her class CONTRIBUTED PHOTO necklace. +HUPLVWRQ+LJK6FKRROFODVVRIJUDGXDWH/LVD0HUULÀHOG “I remember when I got poses for a picture with her class ring after it was returned to WKHFODVVULQJ´0HUUL¿HOGVDLG her from Portland resident Carol Cima. “My mother wanted me to have some things to remember ¿UPHGWKDW0HUUL¿HOGZKRVH ZLWK 0HUUL¿HOG VKH ZDV my high school years. Now, it maiden name was Ballard amazed the ring her moth- is kind of like she is reminding in high school, was the only er had purchased for her so me that she is around and still person they knew of with the many years ago had been taking care of me.” initials LKB. found and would be returned. Cima said in return for “I looked her up in the “When I talked to her ... VHQGLQJ 0HUUL¿HOG WKH ULQJ year book, and she was wear- she was amazed,” Cima said. the only thing she asked is ing the ring,” Wallis said. “I 0HUUL¿HOG VDLG ZKHQ that she pay the favor for- knew it had to be her.” she heard from Cima, she ward. From there, Wallis reached FRXOGQ¶W KHOS EXW EH ¿OOHG “I told her, ‘Well, you 0HUUL¿HOG DQG UHFHLYHG KHU with joy. She said the ring know what they say, you have permission to give Cima her actually holds greater senti- to pay it forward and put out phone number. mental value now because that good karma. My mother Cima said when she spoke her mother passed away last used to say to me, ‘Spread your bread on the water,’ ” she said, referencing a verse from the Bible. 0HUUL¿HOG UHFHLYHG WKH ring last week at her home in New Hampshire, where she resides with her family. She said she may never see her wedding ring again, but she couldn’t be more grateful to Rodriguez, Cima and Wallis IRUWDNLQJWKHWLPHWR¿QGKHU and return her class ring. “It was very sweet and kind that someone would take so much effort to think some- one would care about their class ring and would probably like it back,” she said. “The fact that they would take the time to care and even try to get it back to me, it is abso- lutely amazing.” Peer support members make sure others have a happy Valentine’s Day BY MAEGAN MURRAY HERMISTON HERALD depressed, so the peer sug- gested that we make cards for all the nursing homes,” Peer Support Specialist Amy Funk said. Funk said the effort was important for both the el- derly residents who were receiving them, as well as the peer support mem- bers, because the purpose of group is to have people gather and encourage and empower one another by Valentine’s Day can be a sad holiday for people spend- ing the day alone, which is why members of the Umatilla County Peer Support Net- work wanted to do something special for elderly residents in the region. )RU WKH ¿UVW WLPH VLQFH the group was started a few years ago, members of the network made Valentine’s Day cards for residents liv- ing at the assisted living and retirement homes in the re- gion. As a group, they creat- ed nearly 400 cards, which they hand-delivered to Sun Terrance Assisted Living, Guardian Angel Homes, Co- lumbia Care Cottage-Ozmac, Ashley Manor Care Center, Brookdale Senior Living and Regency Hermiston Nursing and Rehabilitation Center Saturday. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO “One of the peers brought it up in a meeting that Valen- Members of the Umatilla County Peer Support Network pass tine’s Day is a major holiday out Valentines they made for residents in area retirement and that really makes people feel assisted living facilities Saturday. CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT CLASS Oregon - Utah - Valid 35 States PENDLETON Red Lion - 304 SE Nye Ave. February 18 th • 1:00 pm or 6:00 pm Walk-Ins Welcome! OR/Utah: (Valid in WA) $80.00 or Oregon only: $45 www.FirearmTrainingNW.com • FirearmTrainingNW@gmail.com 360-921-2071 DID YOU KNOW... 40% of Children have tooth decay by the time they enter kindergarten? 40% Advanced Pediatric Dentistry is offering a FREE dental exam and $100 voucher good for use toward any dental treatment to all NEW patients scheduled by March 10th! THE BIG AUTHORITY ON LITTLE TEETH! Happy Kids, Healthy Smiles, For a Lifetime! 1060 W. Elm St., Ste. 115 • Hermiston, OR 541-289-5433 • www.hermistonkidsdentist.com knowledge and skill activ- ities. With the event, she said, they were able to do just that. Funk said the people who received Valentines were pleasantly surprised. “All the people were very shocked a group thought of them … and took the time out of their lives to make the cards for them,” she said. “They also (were) very grateful and felt special that they were getting something for Val- entine’s Day.” The feeling of support was also shared by those volunteering. “I will never forget one lady that surprised me and melted my heart,” one peer member wrote of the expe- rience. “She treated me as though I was not a stranger, but someone she knew for a very long time. As I left the room, I could feel the tears falling from my eyes. It caught me off guard and reminded me of my grand- parents that have passed.” Another peer member wrote it was amazing to see the look on people’s faces. “The look on their face was just priceless,” he wrote. “It is something I will never forget. Their face would just light up with happiness, and it showed them that there are peo- ple out there who care and think about them.” Funk said the peer support will continue the effort every year and consider other things they can do for people. “We are hoping to be able to do this every year … plus more stuff similar to this during other holidays,” she said.
