Lost UT Class Ring Found in Central Texas Flood Cleanup

By Chris O'Connell in TXEX on June 12, 2015 at 1:53 pm | 34 Comments

The duality of nature was never so apparent as it was two weeks ago in Central Texas. As the lakes and rivers of the Hill Country thirsted for rainfall, the would-be sunbathers from Blue Hole to Barton Springs and every secret spot in between acquiesced to the inevitable, necessary thunderstorms. But as those storms raged on, thousands of iPhones buzzed in unison, warning residents of an impending flood. The result, weeks later, is remarkably paradoxical: lush, green vegetation and brim-filled lakes on one side, devastating tragedy on the other.

Falling squarely on the side of the former is the news this week that the flooding that hit Austin’s Lamar Boulevard caused exactly one good thing to happen. A woman named Jade Williams, who lost her UT class ring more than six years ago was alerted that her long-gone possession had been found, washed up outside the Shoal Creek Saloon. According to Williams, the bar’s general manager Aimee Elbrecht spotted the ring in a pile of mud while cleaning up in the wake of the flood.

“She said when she saw it she knew she had to return it so at least something good could come of the situation,” Williams said.

The silver—or white gold—lining is that Williams, BS ’06, can both reconnect with an important memento from her time on the Forty Acres, and rely on the kindness of strangers, who have repeatedly forwarded misplaced UT class rings for years.

“I am going back for more crawfish tonight,” Williams said, “but this time will tuck it away somewhere safe.”

Tags: class ring, flooding, shoal creek