Class Notes
The Perfect Gift
Michael Neal knew what he wanted to get his wife, Kerrie Neal ’95, for Christmas. His essay details the lengths he went to—and the people who helped him—pull it off.
How do you choose the perfect gift? Stop and think about that for a moment. It must adequately convey the love and gratitude you feel for someone who has had a profound effect on your life. It must be an object or gesture that somehow represents all the right words that you sometimes forget to articulate.
As a 55-year-old man suffering from a rare, incurable bone marrow cancer who has lived longer than the doctors expected, I desperately wanted to get my wife the perfect gift last Christmas. Unfortunately, I don’t know how many more opportunities I’ll have to do so.
My wife, Kerrie, is many things to me: friend, confidante, nurse, chauffeur, chef and drill instructor when I need a swift kick in the rear (as many husbands do). She has been by my side every step of the way as I have come through rigorous cancer treatment that included a bone marrow transplant, chemotherapy, the removal of 1.5 feet of my large intestine, bone marrow biopsies and cell treatment at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. But perhaps the role she embodies the best is that of grandmother to our grandsons Roman, 3, and Greyson, 1. She is the glue that holds our family together.
As a 55-year-old man suffering from a rare, incurable bone marrow cancer who has lived longer than the doctors expected, I desperately wanted to get my wife the perfect gift last Christmas.
I wanted to give her a gift that had profound significance, and after much thought, I decided to get her the college class ring that she never had. As a graduation gift, she opted to visit her sister in Germany. She felt as though she would be unlikely to have an opportunity to visit Europe again, and she missed her sister. It was the perfect time for a once-in-a-lifetime trip. She planned to get a class ring later, and, as the years passed, so too did that idea.
Artcarved, now owned by Balfour & Co., offered the class rings when she was at TU, so I thought it would be a simple, straightforward process. I was wrong. TU was Towson State University when she graduated, so there were licensing and trademark constraints preventing me from having the ring made with the school's name as it appeared when she attended. Additionally, so much time had passed that they could not locate the molds from 1995, so I didn't even know what class ring styles were offered then.
After hearing my story, TU officials were eager to help.
Jasmine Allen with Special Collections and University Archives completed the research necessary to find the only original Artcarved class ring advertisement available in the school newspaper. Jenna Mills, then-director of alumni engagement programs, came up with a clever way to get alumni to provide pictures of 1995 class rings so I could verify the design for historical accuracy.
Rick Pallansch, assistant vice president for creative services in university marketing and communications, provided the most important part: written authorization allowing the ring to be made with the school's prior name.
After I had verified the ring’s original design and style, I encountered what seemed to be an insurmountable obstacle: The original molds of the ring could not be located. It was then that I decided to contact Ryan Esko, the CEO of Balfour & Co. I hoped he would intercede on my behalf and facilitate the creation of the ring in its original design from scratch if necessary. He took the time to personally contact me and put members of his team, including COO Louis Cowie, on the project. It took great effort on their part, but they recreated the perfect ring for my wife.
Her class ring will be a valued family heirloom, and the story of how it came to be will stand as an indelible reminder to our grandsons of the importance of education and to always persevere in the face of adversity.
I have to express my profound gratitude to the many individuals that made this gift possible, particularly the representatives of TU. In a day and age where it is rare to find anyone willing to take time to help, these individuals have inspired me.
As a direct result of their efforts, I was able to give my wife a meaningful Christmas gift that celebrates her academic accomplishment and my love and respect for all that she does for our family. Her class ring will be a valued family heirloom, and the story of how it came to be will stand as an indelible reminder to our grandsons of the importance of education and to always persevere in the face of adversity.
Finally, I want to thank TU as an institution for all that it has done for our family. It played a major role in the success she has enjoyed both professionally and personally throughout her life.
Tags: Alumni, Class Notes