gessman wrote:
I sincerely appreciate your comments but they're making me uncomfortable. I just thought the story was a little unusual and you would find it to be so - another instance of how I get myself into such things - and out again. Isn't what I did what anyone would have done given all the circumstances coming together as they did - my projectionist experience, being in Tucson when they reels were there, having a loupe in my pocket, recognizing what I had found, etc., all just a set of circumstances that begged for a response. Wouldn't anybody have done the same thing? Probably, so then it was nothing special but it did give me a lot of satisfaction, tracking down a person who had both common first and last names. There were only just over 4,500 of them in the phone books of the U. S. Turns out the first name could be spelled in more than one way because it has double letter combinations in it. That made it a little tricky but I suppose it was all meant to be because it happened. Nothing special, please. I won't tell you any more stories. Ah, you say - we'll just call him a hero and he'll shut up. You're right. I will. Perhaps I should anyway.
I sincerely appreciate your comments but they're m... (
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I would have done the same thing, in trying to find the family, yes! But then again, I turn in wallets to police when I find them if no ID in it... and when I see someone short on cash in front of me in line at the checkout and I can help, I give them the difference... and I hold doors for people and ... well so many other kind things.
Believe it or not, what you did as a matter-of-fact, natural, nice and "right" thing to do... is rare these days!
I wasn't saying you're a hero, necessarily.
But giving that family back their history, and family momento... basically giving them back their life with their Father... was a great thing to do.
Most people in your position may have, sadly, used the film for their own purpose... viewed it for their own pleasure and then looked for a way to profit from it... and if they didn't find any, discarded it.
It's the world we live in these days.
Do you know: When I was attending my first photography contest this past summer, it was at a local Wildfowl Museum. I had to re-do our food budget for the week just to spare the $40 to enter my photos.
On the day of the competition, Ken gave me a $10 bill because he was called away and didn't know how long he'd have to leave me alone there. That money was to buy myself and my daughter Emily something to eat because I'm hypo-glycemic and if I get the shakes and don't eat, I'll faint and go into a coma.
About 1/2 later, I was looking at my photos on the wall with the others and thought to snap a photo of the wall while few people were in the small room.
I must've pulled out the $10 bill when I pulled my camera out of my pocket (having NOT brought my purse on purpose) and didn't realize it until I went to walk out of the room, putting my camera back into my pocket and not feeling the money there.
I panicked and searched... looked like an idiot because I was getting shaky and that was all the money I had. There was a couple standing nearby where I was photographing the wall, watching and I noticed out of the corner of my eye, that she bent down while I was distracted but paid no attention to her.
Well, as I was acting frantic searching for this money, her face got really red and she and her husband hurried out the door of the room... with me speaking rather loudly to my daughter about how it was the ONLY money we had and I had the shakes and we really needed that money back.... WELL within earshot of that couple. I was sincerely hoping she'd "do the right thing"... as I certainly would have if the situation was reversed!
That woman was much more well-to-do than I am... gold jewelry all over her, nice clothes, expensive perfume... dressed to the nines as was her husband. They didn't need that $10, but they kept it anyway.
"Finders, keepers" is the saying...
No.
What you did does not make you a hero.
It makes you a good person who does the right thing because it comes natural to you.
And that is rare these days.
I'm sorry my comments made you feel un-comfy. Please accept my apology...