Lost ring returns
after 65 years

By TOM KANE

NARROWSBURG — What goes around comes around.

Sixty-five years ago, Eleanor Lenora Knapp took a swim in the Delaware River following her high school graduation, and lost her graduation ring—from the Narrowsburg Central School (NCS) class of 1935.

In November of last year, the ring turned up for sale on the eBay online trading community.

Narrowsburg resident Bud Stranahan’s daughter, Wanda Bidwell, who lives in Hartsville, Alabama, saw the item listed for sale.

Bidwell discovered that the ring had the initials ELK engraved on the inside.

Stranahan did some research at the Local History Association in the Tusten-Cochecton Library and found the initials belonged to Eleanor Lenora Knapp, sister of Charlie Knapp, well known about town for his roles as a Town of Tusten board member and the hamlet’s barber.

There were only 12 members of the NCS class of ‘35.

“I told Charlie and he got his son, Charlie, Jr., to get on the Internet and purchased it,” Stranahan said.

“I don’t remember a lot of details but I recall that she lost it while swimming under the bridge in Narrowsburg,” Knapp said. “She could have put it down with her towel or something like that. I don’t remember.”

Eleanor, who is deceased, was 12 years older than her brother.

Charlie, Jr. said the seller lived in Brooklyn, but he could not recall the individual’s name, or anything else about how the seller acquired the ring.

The lost ring has now returned to Narrowsburg, and is in the care of Charlie Sr.