Long-lost ring returned to grandson

OAKTON, Va., Jan. 6 (UPI) -- The grandson of a woman who lost her class ring while swimming in Florida in the 1930s said the item was returned to him by a diver.

John Entzminger, 75, of Oakton, Va., said he never knew about the Mississippi Woman's College ring lost by his grandmother, Louise Hearst Entzminger, who died nearly 37 years ago, until diver Reed Banjanin, 38, contacted him and said he found the item while diving in an old swimming area near Longwood, Fla., the Orlando Sentinel reported Friday.

"It's a pretty amazing set of circumstances," Entzminger said. "I had absolutely no idea that my grandmother lost it."

Banjanin said he was diving in an area known as The Springs, which was a popular swimming spot known as Sanlando Springs in the 1930s, in July when his metal detector found the ring about 25 feet below the surface.

"I've been diving for almost 20 years," Banjanin said, "and this is definitely the coolest thing I've ever found."

Banjanin said he and a friend were able to track the ring, which was engraved with Louise Entzminger's name, to her grandson with the help of Herman Durr, a South Carolina man who does ancestry research.