High school class ring returned 15 years after owner loses it

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - There was a reunion 15 years in the making on Wednesday.

A former Peach County Trojan lost his high school class ring in 2006 as a freshman at Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW).

Marilyn Jackson found the ring shortly after and just now discovered who the owner is.

The place where the ring was found is now a part of a campus extension at GSW. The walking trail has been sequestered to now about half of what it used to be.

Jackson found the ring probably within weeks of him losing it, they are not quite sure when exactly. What they are sure of is that the right person found the ring.

“This was my favorite walking trail. And I used to come out here the minimum four days a week.”

The commitment she had to walk the trail was the same as her pursuit of finding whose ring it was. At first, she couldn’t decipher the name in the ring because the lettering was too small.

So, she ran ads in local papers in 2006.

“But I never did get a response. So me being busy most of the time, I just forgot about it”

Still, she kept the ring hidden away for 15 years. A recent news report made her remember about the ring she found. This time, she was determined to find who lost the ring. She took some extra measures.

“I had my magnifying glass, I had my eyeglasses on, I had a couple of lamps for light. It took me about an hour to figure out what those small, tiny letters were, but it worked.”

After she found the name, it was a quick Google search and the first result was him. His phone number was provided in the search and she reached out.

“I asked him did you lose a ring, a class ring in 2006. He texted back yes. Then the conversation started.”

Ian Pierson was a walk-on tennis player and he lost it one day while on a run as he was training. WALB’s Anthony Bordanaro had the chance to speak to him and he told me that he is grateful Jackson returned the ring.

“When I lost my class ring freshman year of 2006, I never really thought I’d see it again. I’m grateful Mrs. Jackson found it, kept it, and sought me out after all these years.”

Now they plan to mail the ring out to North Georgia where Pierson lives. Will they ever meet? Maybe not. But Pierson will soon be able to share this relic with his family.

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