WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015
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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.
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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.