Mystery of Brunswick High School class ring has been solved

mystery solved

Dan Polk, left, returns a 1942 class ring to the son of its original owner, Bill Flanigan, and his cousin, Mary Lee Heilman. (Sam Boyer, special to cleveland.com)

BRUNSWICK, Ohio -- Timing is everything. And no better example may be the recent solving of a mystery.

It all began when Medina resident Dan Polk contacted the Brunswick Area Historical Society about a ring.

“A long time ago -- maybe 30 years ago -- an acquaintance found a 1942 class ring while hiking in the Hinckley Reservation. They gave it to me because they knew I was from Brunswick,” Polk said. “I put it away and really forgot about it.”

Many years later, he came across the ring and decided to try to find its owner. His message came to this reporter (who is a volunteer with the historical society) with a photo of the ring and the engraved initials, WJF.

Looking through the Brunswick alumni directory didn’t turn up anything, and there were no 1942 yearbooks in the collection.

mystery solved

The 1942 ring has been returned to the Flanigan family. (Photo Courtesy of Dan Polk)

But the 1940 yearbook had a photo of the sophomore class and, sure enough, there was a William Flanigan. As a bonus, the picture also included a Madonna Flanigan.

“I picked up the Brunswick Sun newspaper on Jan. 7,” explained Medina resident Mary Lee Heilman. She was reading the column “Whit & Whimsey.”

“On page A2, something caught my eye. As I read the second paragraph, my uncle’s name appeared. Then my aunt’s name appeared,” Heilman said.

“Holy cow! I know these people. They are my relatives,” Heilman said her response was that day. She immediately called her cousin Bill and told him the news about the ring, and then emailed the historical society with the information.

The 1940 census revealed that the Flanigan family, including siblings William and Madonna, as well as their sister, Mary Catherine Flanigan; their mother, Madonna; and her husband, James Manix, were all living in Hinckley Township.

Bill Flanigan, who is named for his father, was surprised. Years ago, his parents lost their possessions due to water damage. Few precious items remained.

On Jan. 13, Flanigan, Heilman and Polk came to the historical society, where the ring was returned to its family.

Flanigan, who now lives in North Ridgeville, explained that his father’s family moved around a lot, as did his family when he was young. His father left high school and joined the Army, so didn’t graduate from Brunswick High.

His father and mother both died at a young age. After his father’s death, the Army contacted him to send him the medals his father had earned but never received while serving in World War II.

Polk was very excited about finding the owner, and here’s where timing comes in: If he had traced the family in those earlier years after he was given the ring, there was no internet to do research and no historical society with old yearbooks to peruse.

Heilman, who is the daughter of the youngest sister, Mary Catherine, would have been living in Parma and probably would not have seen the story in the Sun.

“It must have been the luck of the Irish that found that ring and owner,” she said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Flanigan clan from above lent a helping hand in finding the ring’s home.”

Read more from the Brunswick Sun.

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