Always remember, Frodo, the Ring is trying to get back to its master. It wants to be found."
—Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
And so it is with brass rats as well. It seems neither time nor distance can keep an MIT alum away from his brass rat forever. The Dothan, Alabama-based
Dothan Eagle recently reported that
Hart Dowling '75, who lost his ring in Cambridge some 26 years ago, has been reunited with his treasured object. At some point, a man named B.R. Drummond found the ring on a sink in a Birmingham, Alabama, gas station but was unable to locate the owner. Drummond's son took possession of the ring upon the elder man's death and recently set about finding Dowling. He succeed with help from the Alumni Association and a Google search.According to the published report, Dowling will give the replacement ring he subsequently purchased to MIT, who will sell it and donate the proceeds to the Hobby Shop on campus, a place Dowling frequented as an undergrad.Dowling is not the first alum to be reunited with his beloved ring.
Henry Nau '63 of Maryland twice lost his ring, once in the Pacific Ocean, and it was returned to him.
Steven A. Spura '76, SM '77 lost his ring for more than 30 years, but thanks to a conscientious treasure hunter, the ring is back on his finger
Comments
Monika Hagen
Sat, 02/18/2017 6:18pm
Dear Alumni,
a brass rat is offered via Facebook in Germany. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/anundverkaufhamburg/forsaleposts/?story_id=1293388027414404&__xt__=27.%7B%22viewer_id%22%3A100001052808101%2C%22target_id%22%3A1565024680193940%2C%22target_type%22%3A0%2C%22primary_position%22%3A0%2C%22search_query%22%3A%22%22%2C%22search_sid%22%3A%22%22%2C%22session_id%22%3A0%2C%22typeahead_sid%22%3A%22%22%2C%22ranking_signature%22%3A1598086420931543040%2C%22commerce_channel%22%3A102%2C%22commerce_type%22%3A2%2C%22ectr%22%3A0%2C%22value%22%3A0.3309830725193%2C%22ad_imp_client_token%22%3Anull%7D
I hope you can help to reunite it with its owner.
Best regards from Germany
Monika Hagen
RAUL ARRIAGA
Tue, 02/02/2016 1:02pm
I enjoyed reading your article and just wanted to tell two interesting (weird) experiences I have had with my MIT ring:
1. Around 1980 I was in a nice beach in Villa Marina, Venezuela practicing wind surfing for the first time. The beaming sun rays were directly affecting my body so I decided to spread some sun tan lotion on.
After doing so, I fell in the water and jumped back on so many times that I lost count.
When I finished for the day I realized that my ring was lost. I got extremely worried and felt so sad thinking on my dear buddy, which had been with me all the time since 1970, that I dived about 50 times looking for my beaver companion.
I was devastated when my friends told me to forget about finding my ring since I, as an MIT grad, should understand the very low, if not impossible, probability of finding it in the middle of the ocean.
It was lunch and we were here getting ready to leave and again, everything
said I should quit.
I asked for one more chance before eating. Took my shirt off and with hopelessly faithful confidence I swam into the ocean, took a deep breath and went under. As my hand grabbed a fistful of sand... voilá!! there it was waiting for me this whole time. I could not believe it!
2. Around 1985 I was at the Wyatt Hotel in Aruba and, once again I lost my ring. My hand felt lighter than normal and when I went to check my ring was just gone. I did everything I could trying to find it. Walked the entire length of the resort starting at the ground, grass, floors...you name it!
I tried to trace back my steps and thought I remembered where and when my hand started feeling lighter. I happened to find the people that were seated next to me around that time and they immediately helped us searching for it, especially when I told them it was an MIT graduation ring. I even hired a guy with a metal detector to pass it around the place I was laying on! Nothing...
This time around I knew it was going to be actually impossible since I only had a very unclear idea (at best) where I could look for it. I decided to abandon the brass rat
ring search.
About three months after I received an @mail from the president of the MIT class of ' 70 indicating someone found my brass ring showing me a magnified picture of the inner part of the ring with my name on it.
Nicole Morell
Tue, 02/21/2017 10:50am
Hi Monika,
Looks like its a closed group, but we would love to help reunite ring and owner. Could you paste what was said?
Nicole Morell
Tue, 02/02/2016 4:27pm
How fortuitous, Raul! We recently were informed of a brass rat found on Diamond Head, and thanks to the inscription were able to reunite it with its owner. That beaver must inspire the good in people. -Nicole