Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 20, 1993 TAG: 9310200112
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KAREN BARNES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BOONES MILL LENGTH: Medium
Bogged in debt, the young couple ran a classified ad to sell their one-third carat diamond solitaire engagement ring, hoping to use the money as a down payment to refinance their modest home. "THIS RING WORKS!" the ad proclaimed. "Married 7 years, hopelessly in love, but poor."
But after three weeks with no inquiries, they had almost given up hope. The pile of unpaid medical bills, student loans and mortgage payments grew larger as they struggled to keep their spirits afloat.
The barrage of phone calls began the same morning an article appeared in the Roanoke Times & World-News. As the sun rose, so did a solution - an anonymous Boones Mill woman offered to buy the ring for $750.
But she did more than that. She plans to put the ring in a safe deposit box until the Rickards can afford to buy it back. She even volunteered to put in writing that the ring should be returned to Pam in the event of her death.
The Rickards met their benefactor Tuesday night. "She's a very kind lady," Tom said after the meeting. She told the family that she knew what it was like to hurt, having grown up during the Depression.
"I've had it hard," said the woman, who recalled meeting Tom Rickard at a public meeting several years before. ". . . I felt like I wanted to do something. That's what all of us should do more of in our lives."
Tom didn't remember meeting the woman several years ago at the public meeting.
More than 20 callers dialed the Rickards' usually quiet telephone Tuesday, offering everything from money to clothes to a ride to Cleveland for the holidays so the family can visit relatives there. One woman called to donate a house appraisal for the refinancing.
Pam talked to callers from all over Southwestern Virginia - Pearisburg, Roanoke, Buena Vista and Blacksburg, among other towns. Tom said they are both overwhelmed with the outpouring of generosity.
"We really never expected this," he said, his voice full of excitement. "I'm just amazed people reacted this way. It's people who don't even know who we are."
If offers of money keep rolling in, Tom said he would try to distribute the money to charities. He already offered to do yardwork for the woman who bought the ring, and Pam is baking loaves of Irish oatmeal bread.
Tom, 33, works in the public relations office at Ferrum College. Pam, 31, quit her full-time job as an advertising salesperson with the newspaper to stay home with their two daughters, 5-year-old Abigail and 9-month-old Rachel. Pam still works about 12 hours a week as a free-lance advertising representative. The two paychecks cover the family's set expenses, but unexpected bills throw the monthly budget into chaos.
Although their financial status is poorer rather than richer, the Rickards glow with happiness. They have become happy with less, they said, and look at balancing the budget as a challenge.
"We really believed that this would work out one way or another, but we had no idea it would be like this," Tom said.
This isn't the first surprise in their relationship. Tom surprised Pam with the ring in the winter of 1984. They had been dating for two years and were on the way to dinner with her parents. Little did she know that her parents knew about the ring - Tom earlier had asked Pam's father's for her hand.
Tom gave her a large box and said, "Before we go, here."
Pam's response was unexpected. "I was so annoyed because he's always late, and I didn't want to keep my parents waiting," she said.
by CNB