Class Ring Finds Its Way Home
Frank Hyde (left) thanks Tom Bush for returning a lost ring that belonged to his mother. The ring had been missing for decades.
Reporter
A Water Valley High School class ring that has been lost and found twice has finally found its way home thanks to Tom Bush of Fort Worth, Texas.
The ring belonged to the late Mary Alyce Edgar Hyde, a member of the graduating class of 1942. Bush returned it to her son, Frank Hyde, Friday night during the Watermelon Carnival street dance.
No one knows how long the ring had originally been missing when it was found on the Jeff Davis School grounds in 1969.
At the time, Bush was in Water Valley visiting with the family of his wife, the former Judy Mathis. He was on leave from the Army preparing for a tour in Vietnam.
Bush said that he was searching the school grounds using a metal detector when he ran across the ring. During the confusion of moving, the ring went missing again and wasn’t seen again until about three months ago, according to Bush. “It’s been all over the world with us,” he said.
On July 8, Bush posted a message to the “Water Vallians – Past, Present, and Future” Internet discussion group on MyFamily.com. The group has over 400 members from all over with connections to Water Valley.
In the message Bush asked for help finding the owner: “I found the ring years ago and misplaced it and now it has appeared again. I would like to return it to the owner or someone in their family. The initials in the ring are MAE. If someone has an idea who this person is, please let me know. I will be in Water Valley for the carnival and my wife’s 60th reunion.”
The Herald’s staff searched the 1942 files and found only one person in the class had the initials MAE, Mary Alyce Edgar. Bush contacted the family and made arrangements to meet Hyde and his wife, Edwina, last weekend.
“It’s nice to have the ring back in the family,” Hyde said, as he shook hands with Bush.
