MI MI - Detroit, BlkMale Adult, UP11925, 3 left fingers, gold class ring “1968” & “PB”, Jul’71

[MadMcGoo]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Unidentified Person
NamUs #UP11925

Date Body Found: July 25, 1971
Location Found: Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
Inventory of Remains: Head not recovered, Torso not recovered, One or more limbs not recovered
Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Traumatic injuries
ME/C Case Number: 71-5657
Sex: Male
Race / Ethnicity: Black / African American
Estimated Age Group: Adult

Height/Weight: Cannot Estimate
Hair/Eye Color: Cannot Estimate

Circumstances of Recovery: Three left fingers from a human hand were found. The left middle finger was bearing a class ring maked "1968" with the initials "PB". The stone from the ring was missing.

 

[MadMcGoo]

I saw this UID mentioned on Furman Boyd’s thread. I’d like to see a photo of the class ring in order to rule out the initials possibly being “FB”. Furman is the only adult black male listed in NamUs as having gone missing between 1968 and 1971. ETA: The initials could represent a school also. Maybe someone is familiar with schools in this area, or ones that had initials “PB”.

There are no rule outs listed for this UID.

 

[jexpar]

I wonder how they know the person is deceased? If it was just three fingers found, people could easily survive that type of injury, even without medical care.

 

[MadMcGoo]

The only high school I found in Detroit that started with a “P” on classmates.com was John Pershing High School.

I wonder how they know the person is deceased? If it was just three fingers found, people could easily survive that type of injury, even without medical care.

Hmmm...never thought of that but it does make sense!

 

[MadMcGoo]

I found more (in Michigan) that started with a "P"...I forgot to erase that before quoting the other message. lol

 

[Alphafuzz]

I saw this UID mentioned on Furman Boyd’s thread. I’d like to see a photo of the class ring in order to rule out the initials possibly being “FB”. Furman is the only adult black male listed in NamUs as having gone missing between 1968 and 1971. ETA: The initials could represent a school also. Maybe someone is familiar with schools in this area, or ones that had initials “PB”.

There are no rule outs listed for this UID.

According to your link the correct name is Furman Byrd and he went missing from Cleveland, Ohio in 1968 at age 18 but may have been last seen in Boston. I grew up in Michigan and in fact I'm here now visiting but none of us could think of any high schools with those initials and nothing on Google. I also lived in the Cleveland area and attended KSU but none I can remember there however there is a distinct possibility the school's name was changed later. That happened a lot after JFK, RFK and MLK were assassinated. It could even be related to Boston schools since it says may have been a student there. I think you are correct that it is the person's initials P. B. or F. B. on the ring. If the ring was indeed his I thought perhaps his family listed it on Josten's lost and found class ring registry after he went missing but no luck. I was unsuccessful in finding an image of the ring. Are you aware of any other class ring makers of that year?

 

[MadMcGoo]

According to your link the correct name is Furman Byrd and he went missing from Cleveland, Ohio in 1968 at age 18 but may have been last seen in Boston. I grew up in Michigan and in fact I'm here now visiting but none of us could think of any high schools with those initials and nothing on Google. I also lived in the Cleveland area and attended KSU but none I can remember there however there is a distinct possibility the school's name was changed later. That happened a lot after JFK, RFK and MLK were assassinated. It could even be related to Boston schools since it says may have been a student there. I think you are correct that it is the person's initials P. B. or F. B. on the ring. If the ring was indeed his I thought perhaps his family listed it on Josten's lost and found class ring registry after he went missing but no luck. I was unsuccessful in finding an image of the ring. Are you aware of any other class ring makers of that year?

Thank you for pointing that out! It must have autocorrected to Boyd.

I searched through a lot of schools and couldn’t find anything that stood out to me. I’m not at all familiar with class ring makers of that time period, so I’m afraid I can’t be of any help there.

Thank you for your input!

 

[Alphafuzz]

Thank you for pointing that out! It must have autocorrected to Boyd.

I searched through a lot of schools and couldn’t find anything that stood out to me. I’m not at all familiar with class ring makers of that time period, so I’m afraid I can’t be of any help there.

Thank you for your input!

Very astute detective work on your part.

My siblings and I all graduated in Metro Detroit between 1968 and 1983 and all the rings were Josten's. I'm thinking if it is him his school ring would be Cleveland because at 18 he'd have just graduated. Assuming it is initials the school doesn't figure as much. I wonder if he was at that time of protest over civil rights and the murder of MLK traveling between cities with other like minded people. Perhaps that is how Boston and Detroit factor into the story. Those were tumultuous times and a booming time for the auto industry. A young man just out of school may have been seeking factory work or trade school apprenticeship. It mentions being a student in Boston but quite a few young people pursued the civil rights movement after leaving home to allegedly attend college. Maybe he was one of them.

 

[Aurora90]

I wish we could find a photo of the class ring. It might help us identify the school.

 

[ifindedout]

There were, and still are, other school ring manufacturers besides Jostens. One is L.G. Balfour.

L.G. Balfour Company - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Another is Herff Jones, who made my HS ring.

Herff Jones - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Richard]

Bumping this thread up.

The initials "PB" would have been those of the original owner of the class ring, and would have been stamped on the inside of that ring, along with proof marks and the gold content (eg. 10k or 14k).

The year "1968" would have appeared on the external sides of the ring as part of that particular ring design. Usually a ring design was chosen by a class committee and all the students of that year group would order rings of that same design.

A number of different schools might choose the same design For their "Class of 1968".

The name of the school might have been on a small metal medallion, along with some emblem or design, attached to the stone atop the ring.