Kentucky man's class ring returned 29 years after being lost on a road

March 10 (UPI) -- A Kentucky man who lost his class ring 29 years ago had the item returned to him by a man who found it at the side of a road years ago and found the owner through social media.

Rex Moorman of Breckinridge County said he found the Bullitt Central High School class of 1987 ring at the side of a road nearly three decades ago when his motorcycle broke down, and despite the name "Gordon Lee Smith" being engraved on the ring, he was unable to find the owner.

Moorman said he tried contacting the school in Louisville and searching for a Gordon Lee Smith in the phone book, but he was unable to find the ring's owner and eventually the ring ended up spending years in a drawer.

Moorman said he joined Facebook about a year ago and decided to renew his search for the ring's owner. He found the right Gordon Lee Smith and the men exchanged messages.

Smith said the ring was important to him because it was a gift from his father on the occasion of his becoming the first man in his family to graduate high school. He said he kept the loss of the ring a secret when he lost it while changing a tire on his car in 1992.

The men met in person recently at VFW Churchill Downs Post 2921 in Louisville, and Moorman returned the ring to Smith.

Smith offered Moorman a reward for returning the ring, but Moorman refused, saying the only reward he was interested in was Smith's friendship.