A class ring from 1976 was uncovered through some amateur sleuthing, just before the 50th reunion of that class. It became a "message from heaven" for his family.
Can a class ring, buried underground for decades, find its way home? This one did.
Mike Johnston, a local metal-detecting enthusiast, discovered a buried Adelphi University class ring from 1976 in late September. The unexpected recovery sparked a true detective effort to find its rightful owner.
Johnston found the ring at West Hills County Park in Melville, New York, buried “about seven inches down”—like finding a needle in the proverbial haystack. He had only begun pursuing that hobby in January, although “I’ve wanted to do it my whole life.”
In a striking coincidence, the Class of 1976’s 50th Reunion was scheduled for Adelphi’s Spirit Weekend on October 18—just weeks after the discovery.
“I Googled ‘Adelphi University Class of ’76’ and saw that its 50th Reunion was coming up,” Johnston recalled. “I kinda got chills and wanted to track down the owner as soon as possible.”
A Dead End, Then Help From Alumni Relations
The first clue was a dead end, briefly. He connected with Megan Stewart, Adelphi University’s director of alumni relations, who said that, at first, they thought the initials inside the ring were “LOC.” But after checking the 1976 yearbook, she said, “We couldn’t find a graduate with those initials.”
Once he gave the ring a more thorough cleaning, however, Johnston realized that the initials actually were “LDC.”
That discovery was the key to solving this mystery. Armed with that new info, Stewart resumed sleuthing in the 1976 yearbook on October 1 and was able to match the initials to Laurence D. Cohen.
Laurence (known to friends and family as Larry) grew up on Long Island and had died in Florida in 2021. Stewart immediately reached out to Cohen’s widow, Anita, to share the news that her late husband’s Adelphi ring had finally been found.
I turned out that Anita did not even realize his ring had been lost.
“He never mentioned losing his class ring,” Anita said. But the Melville location “made sense,” since he and his family lived in the Melville-Huntington area of Long Island, New York. Interestingly, “Larry was an avid metal-detecting enthusiast,” she recalled. “He had all the equipment and we think he lost his ring while he was metal-detecting in that area.”
Like a “Message From Heaven” From an Alum
Anita was “incredibly moved,” Stewart said. “She couldn’t be happier to have something that belonged to her husband returned to her. She described it as feeling ‘like a message from heaven.'”
Anita reflected on what the discovery meant to her family:
“He left us too soon, in 2021, and to find his ring like this brings him back in our memories. The whole family has had a chance to reminisce. He was very smart, kind and intense, he loved God and made friends everywhere. He was so, so funny, always making everybody laugh. Everyone loved Larry.”
Cohen majored in physical education at Adelphi, but later changed course. “He went on to become a podiatrist and worked in Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens, until we moved to Florida in 1996.”
Anita, herself an Adelphi alum, got her bachelor’s degree in fine art and liberal arts in 1982. “I am still an instructor at Crealdé School of Art in Winter Park, Florida,” she said. “I teach painting and drawing to children, and I also teach adults silver metal clay jewelry.”
The Cohen family, left to right: daughter Michelle, Anita and Lawrence Cohen ’76
Missing Spirit Weekend, But There in Spirit
Although both attended Adelphi, the couple didn’t meet on campus.
“We met on Long Island at a Messianic Congregation in 1982,” Anita recalled. “We were inseparable after that.” Married in 1986, they raised a daughter, Michelle, who is now a registered nurse.
While Anita is unable to return to the Garden City campus for the Class of 1976 50th Reunion during Spirit Weekend (October 14 to October 18), Stewart ensured the piece of history would arrive safely.
“We’ll be sending the ring to her in Florida so it can be back with her family where it belongs,” Stewart said.
The Enduring Adelphi Connection
The unearthing of a 50-year-old ring—decades after it slipped away—serves as a poignant bridge between the past and present just as Larry’s classmates gather for their 50th Reunion milestone (to be held October 17 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.).
For Stewart, the story highlights the strength of the University community. “It feels like a wonderful example of how the Adelphi connection can endure across generations and decades,” she observed.
Thomas Kline, EdD, Adelphi vice president of University advancement and external relations, observed, “To see Laurence’s ring make this miraculous journey back to Anita against all odds—especially as we approach the Class of 1976’s 50th Reunion—is incredibly inspiring. It is a profound reminder that no matter how much time passes, our Adelphi family remains deeply connected.”