Jesse T. Simmons was a new recruit in basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., in 1959, when his Georgia Tech class ring went AWOL.
Thanks to the perseverance of an Army veteran now living in Oregon, the ring has been returned to the Hixson resident 50 years later.
Mr. Simmons said four months after graduating from college, he was drafted by the Army and sent to basic training at Fort Jackson. While there, the shaving kit in which he kept his wedding and class rings went missing.
“My wife was much more upset about the wedding ring than the class ring,” said the TVA retiree. “But she ordered me another class ring just like the one I’d lost.”
Two weeks ago, Mr. Simmons got a call from Maryanne Soto, bio-data coordinator for the Georgia Tech Alumni Association.