UGA alum reunited with class ring lost in Spain 54 years ago

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Fred Baker with his once-lost class ring. (Fred Baker/UGA)

ATHENS, Ga. - A University of Georgia alumnus is now reunited with a special piece of his college history that he lost decades ago.

Fred Baker III graduated from the Athens university in 1967 and lost his class ring on a visit to Spain in 1970.

Now, thanks to a stranger from across the world and a UGA intern who connected the dots, the piece of his college history is back.

What we know:

The UGA Alumni Association says in June 2024, Jack Swift received an unusual email while working at the UGA Office of Alumni Relations.

The email was from William Martinez, a resident of a town near Valencia, Spain, who said that he found the old ring in his grandparents' home and had no idea where it came from. 

"At first, I was surprised that someone would go to the effort of emailing the university from another country, another continent," Swift told UGA. "I thought that was interesting, and I wanted to look into it and learn more. I decided to devote some time, commit and see what could come from it." 

Using the name on the ring, Smith was able to connect with a name in a yearbook, Fred Baker III.

What they're saying:

 "It was pretty emotional when Jack called," Baker told UGA. "My daughter and I were sitting together listening to the voicemail from Jack and were left in total disbelief."  

After graduating, Baker served in the military and spent time stationed in Germany. It was there that he got the travel bug, which led him to losing his ring to Spain in 1970.

"I owe a lot to Jack and Mr. Martinez for doing this," said Baker. "Neither of them had to take the time to research and find me, but they did, and that’s pretty admirable." 

What you can do:

You can read more about the story on the UGA Alumni Association's website.