Hobey Hewett, the grandson of MG Hobert Hewett, Class of 1919, and the first presenter at the 20th Annual West Point Class Ring Memorial Melt, captured the significance and sublimity of the ceremony perfectly when he told the amazing story of how his grandfather's ring became part of the Ring Melt for the Class of 2021.
General Hewett died in 1967, and his class ring passed on to his daughter, Hobey Hewett's mother. The ring was missing for decades, but, about two weeks ago, Hewett and his brother were cleaning out his mother's house and found the ring. He then learned about WPAOG's Ring Memorial Program and worked feverishly with WPAOG's Class Support & Membership Services to get the ring into this year's program on short notice. View photos.
"It was the spirit of the ring that got it here," Hewett said, offering an explanation as to why the ring was serendipitously found. "It wanted to be here, it wanted to come home, and it wants to be worn on the fingers of the cadets in the Class of 2021." The Class of 1919, as it turns out, entered as the Class of 1921, but they were graduated early due to the need for officers during World War I. Video.
Despite this, his class maintained their 1921 crest; so, General Hewett's ring could be considered a centennial gift to the Class of 2021. The power and magnitude of this story caught CDT Katarina Christianson, President of the Class of 2021, a bit off guard, and she had to wipe away a tear from her eye before announcing the name of the next ring presenter. Read more.