Aggie Ring Returned

During a family visit to Utah in March 2023, Mark McAvoy '72 lost his Aggie Ring in a park while watching his grandson's soccer game. After leaving the park, McAvoy realized his Ring was missing and returned with a metal detector to search for it. He found no more than an old paper clip; he then filed a police report with the local police department and notified the park administration of the lost Ring.

To no avail, McAvoy returned home to Arizona assuming the Ring was lost forever and eventually ordering a replacement Ring. Though McAvoy's Ring was replaced, he deeply missed his original Ring which contained a diamond gifted to him by his parents while he was a senior at Texas A&M University. 

Two years later in March 2025, McAvoy received text messages from an unknown number notifying him that the sender had found his Ring and was attempting to return it to him. He called the individual, Corey Grillone, who explained that her friend, Andy Heil, found McAvoy's Ring in the park back in April 2023 while metal detecting. After finding the Ring, Heil recognized the Ring was a class ring but was unable to make out the engraved name on the inside. 

With the help of his daughter, Heil was able to make out McAvoy's name and search for him on Facebook. On McAvoy's page, Heil found a video in which McAvoy was wearing his Aggie Ring and immediately knew that this was the individual he had been looking for. In an attempt to contact McAvoy, Heil friended him on Facebook; however, Heil is not an avid Facebook user and did not accept Heil's requests. With no known way to contact McAvoy, Heil paused his attempt to return the Ring. 

When Grillone visited Heil's home in 2025, she saw the Aggie Ring and inquired about it. Heil explained the situation and his attempts to contact McAvoy, and Grillone offered to help conduct research to find more contact information for McAvoy. Through thorough internet research, Grillone found a possible cell phone number belonging to McAvoy.

Once the two made contact, McAvoy and Heil agreed this event was special and that they should meet in person to exchange the Ring. Later in December 2025, McAvoy returned to Utah and received his original Ring from Heil. McAvoy expressed his "huge appreciation" for Heil's kindness and persistence. "I feel very blessed by this event," McAvoy said.