Four Economy Blocks

 

In late February, 2019, Kelly Stewart was searching for lost treasure in the yard of an abandoned house not far from his Richfield home. Over the past 50 years, he’s found dozens of trinkets with his metal detector, but none more impressive than what he dug up on this particular day. It was a large ten-karat gold ring from the Colorado School of Mines, class of 1943, in mint condition. The only clue to the owner was a set of initials – R.W.D. – inside the band. That’s when the real hunt began. Kelly purchased a 1943 yearbook for the school on eBay, and inside found the name Richard William Deneke. Kelly was hoping to return the ring to one of Richard’s descendants. But a social media search turned up the man himself, living in a nursing home in Georgia. Richard will celebrate his hundredth birthday soon. When he does, he’ll be wearing his gold class ring.