Lost class ring reunited with owner 50 years later
In June 2024, Jack Swift ’26, an accounting major from Sugar Hill, GA, received an unexpected email during his first few days interning with the UGA Office of Alumni Relations. The message was from William Martinez, a resident of a small town near Valencia, Spain. Martinez had recently discovered an old ring in his grandparents’ home and became curious about its origins. After tracing the ring back to the University of Georgia, he contacted the alumni office in search of answers.
Monitoring the alumni email was Swift’s responsibility, so he felt it was his duty to take on the task. As a member of several campus organizations, including the Student Alumni Council, whose focus includes promoting class rings and other time-honored UGA traditions, Swift’s curiosity and support from advisors fueled his enthusiasm for the project.
“At first, I was surprised that someone would go to the effort of emailing the university from another country, another continent,” said Swift. “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.”
On the ring was the owner’s name, the year they graduated from the University of Georgia, and the Greek letters of their fraternity. Using this information, Swift thought to look through a Pandora yearbook from the 1960s and was able to trace the ring back to its owner, Fred Baker III (BBA ’67).
Fred Baker’s fraternity photo from the 1967 Pandora Yearbook.
“It was pretty emotional when Jack called,” said Baker. “My daughter and I were sitting together listening to the voicemail from Jack and were left in total disbelief.”
Attending UGA was a spontaneous decision for Baker. He enrolled at UGA in 1964 and fell in love with Athens. After graduating, Baker pursued various careers, including serving in the military. He spent some time stationed in Germany, after which he decided to travel the world. In 1970, he found himself in Spain and it was during this time that the ring was lost.
“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.”
Fifty-four years later, Swift was able to return the ring to its original owner. This was a full circle moment for Swift; he began his internship with this task and was able to return the ring to its rightful owner just before it ended.
Fred Baker reunited with his lost class ring in 2024.
“I am lucky that it stumbled across my desk and that I was able to put a lot of time and effort into it,” said Swift. “I knew it was something that was important to Mr. Fred, so that made it important to me.”
Class rings represent the bond between the University of Georgia and its graduates, serving as a reminder of the global connection within Bulldog nation. Whether you graduated 50 years ago or are a current student with 60 or more credit hours, you can be part of this tradition alongside other Bulldogs spanning generations across the world.
