Thomas Fleming, well-known author...
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Thomas Fleming, well-known author and historian, knows what it is to believe and hope, even when there is no reason for hoping. In 1968, Thomas Fleming went to the Argonne forest in France to retrace his father Teddy's footsteps. It was on that battlefield during World War I that Teddy had earned a battlefield commission and returned home to Jersey City as a hero. The mayor of Jersey City, Frank Hague, took a liking to young Teddy and encouraged him to run for public office. Soon after, Teddy ran for sheriff and won. To mark the occasion, the mayor had given Teddy a gold and onyx ring, which Teddy had given to his own son, Thomas.
While hiking up an embankment at the site of one of the battles, Thomas Fleming noticed that his ring had fallen off. He clawed the ground, frantically searching for his father's ring, but to no avail. His father had given him the ring one night after a fight to remind his son that he would always love him. And now it was lost forever.
Gil Malmasson, a young French photographer, also knows what it is like to believe and hope, even though there is no reason for hoping. In 1985, Gil had been sweeping a battlefield in Argonne when he stumbled upon a gold and onyx ring with the inscription, "From Mayor Frank Hague to Sheriff Teddy Fleming, 1945." Gil knew he had something special and he vowed to return the ring to its rightful owner. For the next 13 years, Gil talked to diplomats, ambassadors, politicians, and businesspeople in a fruitless attempt to find the owner of the ring. But one day, while surfing the Internet, Gil stumbled onto the web page for Jersey City, New Jersey, and noticed that Frank Hague had once been mayor. Within a few keystrokes, he was on his way to finding Thomas Fleming.
Thomas and Gil met at the battlefield in Argonne, France, in late November, 1998. Gil presented Thomas with the ring in a little blue box decorated with a tiny sticker of the Stars and Stripes. The stone was chipped, but the ring looked perfectly glorious on Thomas Fleming's finger.
A symbol of promise. A promise of love between father and son. Gil Malmasson believed and hoped. Thomas Fleming believed and hoped. Abraham, too, believed and hoped, even when there was no reason for hoping (from David Gonzalez, New York Times, December 5, 1998).
While hiking up an embankment at the site of one of the battles, Thomas Fleming noticed that his ring had fallen off. He clawed the ground, frantically searching for his father's ring, but to no avail. His father had given him the ring one night after a fight to remind his son that he would always love him. And now it was lost forever.
Gil Malmasson, a young French photographer, also knows what it is like to believe and hope, even though there is no reason for hoping. In 1985, Gil had been sweeping a battlefield in Argonne when he stumbled upon a gold and onyx ring with the inscription, "From Mayor Frank Hague to Sheriff Teddy Fleming, 1945." Gil knew he had something special and he vowed to return the ring to its rightful owner. For the next 13 years, Gil talked to diplomats, ambassadors, politicians, and businesspeople in a fruitless attempt to find the owner of the ring. But one day, while surfing the Internet, Gil stumbled onto the web page for Jersey City, New Jersey, and noticed that Frank Hague had once been mayor. Within a few keystrokes, he was on his way to finding Thomas Fleming.
Thomas and Gil met at the battlefield in Argonne, France, in late November, 1998. Gil presented Thomas with the ring in a little blue box decorated with a tiny sticker of the Stars and Stripes. The stone was chipped, but the ring looked perfectly glorious on Thomas Fleming's finger.
A symbol of promise. A promise of love between father and son. Gil Malmasson believed and hoped. Thomas Fleming believed and hoped. Abraham, too, believed and hoped, even when there was no reason for hoping (from David Gonzalez, New York Times, December 5, 1998).
