Lost and Found

Thanks to the kindness of strangers and some sleuthing by the Office of Alumni Engagement, Jill (Murphy) Waldron ’87 is wearing her cherished class ring again.

Since graduation, Waldron had worn the ring for over three decades except when playing softball. For games and practices, she would take it off and put it in a pocket in her equipment bag. In 2019, however, she lost it at a ballpark in Newtown, Connecticut.

"After the game, I went to the spot in my bag where it should have been. The zipper was open, and the ring was gone. I went back to the third base line, where my bag had been, and looked but couldn’t find it. I continued to look for it whenever we played at that field, but without luck,” recalls Waldron, a math teacher at the Academy of Our Lady of Mercy, Lauralton Hall, in Milford, Connecticut.

In June, however, Senior Associate Director of Alumni Engagement Jennifer (Moura) Silva ’93 contacted Waldron with good news. A woman named Michele Payne had reached out to the Alumni office because her son had found a 1987 Stonehill class ring on the field.

Silva dug through some files and identified three alums from the Class of 1987 as possible owners of the ring, which luckily had three engraved initials on it. After ruling out the first two alums, Silva connected with the third, Waldron.

“I was thrilled to get that call but even more excited to meet Michele, who personally delivered the ring to me,” says a grateful Waldron.

“This was such a great surprise to be reunited with my class ring, especially after I had attended part of my 35th Reunion just a few weeks before,” she adds. “Imagine, three years outside in the New England elements. I’m happy to say I wear it proudly every day.”