OH OH - Ronald Tammen, 19, Oxford, 19 April 1953

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Bumping...

It will soon be the anniversary date of Ronald Tammen's disappearance. I'm hoping for a news article to mark the 57th year since he vanished on April 19, 1953.
 
I'm just thinking out loud here, but I often wonder when I think about this case if the blood test Ron requested 5 months earlier had anything to do with his disappearance, like for instance if it was being done to establish paternity maybe? It was certainly a big deal back then if someone got pregnant and wasn't married. What if someone accused him of being the father of their child? But it is odd that he asked for the blood test. The doctor who performed the test said he had never had such a request before. And it might be a reason for him to have disappeared on his own.
 
Today marks the 57th anniversary of the disappearance of Ronald Tammen. I couldn't find any recent news articles marking the occasion.

Prayers for Ron, and for his family that they get some answers in this case one day.
 
Cambria, Thanks for being so faithful about bumping Ronald's case. I had heard about the potential match in Georgia, but not that it didn't pan out. So Ronald's case is still a mystery. Indeed, prayers for Ron and his family.
 
what if, since that road in oxford led all the way to where the Georgia body was found, that the Tammen disappearance and the death of the young man found are related? imagining all of the scenarios possible...could it be that Tammen was "on duty" as an RA and was led into some kind of foul play on purpose? who knows why, but that would come later, if there is any truth to this theory. but someone was making noises on purpose and RA is pretty much the authority in the dorms, the "adult" on duty. Maybe a car parked outside...an act...someone that "needed help"...? no money stolen, all that stuff...well, we know that people do things for purely sadistic reasons...maybe there was a serial killer that preyed on young men back in the 53ish years...?
 
i would wonder what other disappearances went on at the time down and around that road. it seems to me that to solve this case and others,a lot of organization is needed. this site is wonderful ...it seems that you all know your stuff! deference to you. i think systematic is the way to go on this case and all cases. modern life is so busy and i feel like the answers are all within reach it just takes so much digging and time is limited. contrast to the 50s, they didn't have the quick communication of today. and though it helps, it is double edged...i think we get lost in all our info, as a society. we have many new tools. it is an exciting time.
 
Bumping for Ron Tammen...it's still possible to get answers - even after 57 years.
 
If Ronald Tammen really was the man who came to the lady's door that night, his glazed look may have been because he was already experiencing hypothermia. I always felt like he wandered off in search of shelter & died there. It is possible that this was all due to a prank gone horribly wrong. The fish in the bed sounds like something done just as a joke, not as a serious threat. Some other guys may have made noises downstairs to lure him there & then they drove him out a ways & dumped him to walk back. Sounds like a type of hazing maybe. They probably didn't understand the dangers of the low temperature. Plus I suspect the zero degrees was the windchill rather than the actual temperature in April.
 
Hello, all! This is my first Websleuths post, after months of reading along! :)

I'm wondering if anything ever came of this bit from the Cleveland paper's 2009 update on Ronald:

For example, Smith said he just was contacted by authorities in San Bernardino county, California, regarding a 1954 unidentified John Doe with similar characteristics to Tammen.

Does anyone know if anything came of this?

Thanks!
 
RMIC said:
Hello, all! This is my first Websleuths post, after months of reading along! :)

I'm wondering if anything ever came of this bit from the Cleveland paper's 2009 update on Ronald:

For example, Smith said he just was contacted by authorities in San Bernardino county, California, regarding a 1954 unidentified John Doe with similar characteristics to Tammen.

Does anyone know if anything came of this?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Welcome to Websleuths, RMIC. I posted the link that article came from a while back. I have never heard anything about it, so I don't know if they ever even tested the DNA regarding the UID in San Bernardino County, CA. I remember reading that when I posted the link but haven't seen anything else since.

Here's the link again.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/02/the_cleveland_artist_who_gaine.html
 
I don't think this has been posted before, and I apologize in advance if it has. I found a link about a 1954 grad from Miami U who wrote a novel based on Ronald Tammen's disappearance. His name is Walter McKeever and the book is called Dissolved Into Darkness. It was published in 2006. I found it on amazon.com. Although it is fiction, since it's based on Ron Tammen's disappearance, it might be kind of interesting to read.

http://www.miamistudent.net/2.8196/deadly-disappearance-1.1153475
 
I have a thought on all this. Did any other students leave school at the same time? Go home for an "emergency" or say that their draft card was pulled?

I ask because what if one of his friends' draft cards were called up? The blood type, build, and general looks needed to match. However, back then due to lack of technology it would have been easy to get an ID in someone else's name.

What if he took the place for his friend? That he was trying to get away without anyone knowing? Would this not explain the disappearance and his body never being found?

Is it possible to search the Korean War records against the school records?
 
Thinking of Ronald Tammen on the 58th anniversary of his disappearance.
 
I didn't realize there was a thread for this! One of my favorite "ghost" stories from Miami. Class of 2007, here. I lived in Collins Hall my freshman year, right next to Marcum/where Fisher used to be. Oxford has a ton of ghost stories - there used to be four insane asylums there, one is even now a dorm.

I've always thought Tammen's case was so mysterious, because you never knew what happened. I'm doubtful of the fraternity prank gone wrong theory, though. I'd guess the fish was a fraternity prank, but he was a sophomore - not likely to be pledging. Plus, he was an RA on duty (I think?). Although fraternities have a reputation for pranks, they do - and did - generally respect other university commitments, such as being on duty. Plus, I'm not sure why they would play an initiation-style prank, once someone was already a member. That's not really Greek style, from my perspective.
 
Bump.

Thinking of Ron as the 59th anniversary of his disappearance approaches.
 
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