Edmond Goodwill Store Finds Historic WWII Memorabilia
Assistant Store Manager Katie Duer and donation door attendants were caught by surprise when a routine inspection of a donated lockbox revealed a trove of well-preserved World War II documents hidden away in a secret compartment. Donated to our Goodwill store on 164th and Penn Ave in Edmond, the lid compartment contained a Navy soldier’s discharge papers from 1947, including several medals and a signed letter by then-President Truman – all seemingly untouched for decades.
“Based on the condition of the lockbox and the papers, we were confident the person who donated these items likely did not know about the existence of the compartment or the documents,” Duer said.
Personal information listed on the discharge papers and some initial research allowed Duer and Goodwill’s corporate team to identify a matching obituary, a relative in Edmond, and initiate a prompt return to the soldier’s family over the holiday weekend. In cases where items were mistakenly donated and personal identifying information is available, Goodwill always tries to reunite owners with their items.
“Over the past year, we’ve been able to reunite several customers and donors with their items and it’s always a great feeling to be able to do that,” Director of Donated Goods Retail Dianne Beltz said.
Recently, our ShopGoodwill team was able to return a wrongfully donated OU class ring and an award-winning ARPA rodeo belt buckle to their grateful owners. Beltz also wants to remind customers that in any of these cases, time is of the essence. “The first 24 hours are usually the most critical,” Beltz said. “If we can track an item back to the store location at which it was donated and catch it before it enters our central warehouse – there are good chances our team is able to find it.”
For a closer look at the find, head to our Facebook page.
About Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma
Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma is a community-based, nonprofit agency in Central Oklahoma with one outlet store, 25 retail stores and 17 attended donation centers, as well as an Employment Services Center throughout 37 counties. Goodwill is a sustainable social enterprise that funds job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based programs by selling donated clothing and household items. To find a Goodwill location near you, use the online locator at okgoodwill.org.