Man Finds University of Michigan Class Ring While Snorkeling in Mexico
While snorkeling in Mexico, an Arizona man found a University of Michigan class ring and surprisingly, he managed to track down its owner.
The ring belonged to Gary Franklin of Southgate who graduated from the University of Michigan in 2012. According to MLive, Franklin wore his class ring every single day until it slipped off his finger while snorkeling in Mexico in mid-April.
Franklin felt he could have dove for the ring which was roughly 15 feet below but he didn't want to freak people out by taking off his life jacket to make the dive. It sounds like he was probably on one of those group snorkeling trips that you can take while on vacation. I get not wanting to freak people out but I would have gone for it anyway.
The next day, Jared Raymond of Arizona was snorkeling in the same area when he noticed something shiny on the ocean floor. He made the dive and retrieved Franklin's lost class ring. What are the odds, right?
He had no way of finding Franklin as I'm sure there are thousand of people on social media with the name Gary Franklin. So, Raymond posted a photo of the ring on Facebook and it eventually went viral.
Jared Raymond's Facebook post:
I need some help......some of you are super sleuths........I found a class ring in the ocean today south of Playa del Carmen........University of Michigan.........it's engraved with Gary Franklin. There's a middle initial, but I'll need the person to tell me what that initial is. Also I'll need them to tell me the year.....that's on the ring.
After being shared more than 5,000 times, the post made its way to Franklin's wife. It was confirmed that her husband was the owner of the ring. They were in shock to say the least. The ring is now on its way back to Gary Franklin in Southgate, Michigan.
It just goes to show the power of social media.