Mac grad reunited with ring lost in ocean 47 years ago

After nearly five decades, McMaster graduate from class of 1965 reunited with lost graduation ring just in time for 83rd birthday

McMaster alum Morgan Perigo lost his graduation ring in 1977 during a family vacation in Barbados when it slipped off into the ocean. Nearly five decades later, he was reunited with it thanks to professional freediver Alex Davis and McMaster Alumni officer Laura Escalante.

Davis discovered the McMaster ring using an underwater metal detector and contacted McMaster University to track down its owner.

Davis's email to McMaster reached Laura Escalante, a
McMaster alumni officer, who took on the task of identifying the ring’s owner. Escalante identified the owner, Frederick Morgan Perigo, by cross-referencing the engraved graduation year, 1965, and the initials "FMP" with alumni records.

Escalante shared insights about the collaborative effort that ultimately reunited the ring with Perigo. 

“It went directly to my director at the time and then my director forwarded it to me to follow up on because I work with reunions . . . So, I have some familiarity with the audience,” said Escalante. 

Escalante searched through the alumni records and narrowed the search down to Perigo by looking for his graduation year and the engraved initials. She noted that identifying the owner would have been more challenging had the ring not included his middle initial. 

“It was just a matter of matching up. There was, luckily, one record that had those initials,” said Escalante. 

While it’s not uncommon for people to contact the McMaster Alumni Office to reconnect with old friends or classmates, Escalante had never encountered a case like this one in her career. 

Escalante managed to have the ring returned to Perigo just in time for his 83rd birthday, 47 years after he lost it. The story of the McMaster alum's reunion with his graduation ring has made global headlines, being covered by The Washington Post and The New York Times.