Calling all genealogists, including forensic genealogists,
to help solve this mystery!
My husband went to MIT and he cherishes his Brass Rat. This is the affectionate name given to the
MIT class ring, which sports the image of a beaver on the top. The beaver, the engineer of the animal
kingdom, is the MIT mascot. It is an
unusual ring, recognized by alumni all over the world. We’ve been on vacation in far flung places
like Alaska or Europe, and other alums have come up to introduce themselves to
my husband because of the Brass Rat. He
meets MIT alums at conferences and engineering facilities all over the USA who know
his ring. Every class had a different
ring designed by a committee of graduating seniors.
In 1968 Stephen Adams was killed in Vietnam, and among his
personal effects was this MIT class ring.
However, Adams was not an MIT grad.
The ring is undated, from the mid 1960s, and has the initials J. T. M.
etched on the inside. It is apparently a
grad school ring for someone who received a Master’s of Science degree.
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| That is me in Lobby 10 at MIT under the Great Dome. The honor rolls on the walls have the names of alumni and students killed in action in wars since World War I. |
Why did Stephen Adams have this ring? Who is the mysterious J. T. M.? What happened to Mr. M.? The sister of Stephen Adams returned the
Brass Rat to MIT this year, with the hopes it would be returned to J. T. M or
to his family. If Mr. M. was killed in
action, MIT would like to have his name added to the honor roll in Lobby 10,
under the Great Dome.
 |
| My husband, MIT '82, and a member of the class of 1942 compare Brass Rats at the 2012 MIT reunion reception! |
The link to
the video “MIT’s Brass Rat: A Vietnam War Ring Mystery” :
The original
story about the mysterious Brass Rat at the MIT alumni website:
http://alum.mit.edu/pages/sliceofmit/2012/06/12/seeking-owner-of-brass-rat-lost-in-vietnam/
A link to the story about the mysterious Brass Rat from the MIT student life website:
http://studentlife.mit.edu/vietnamring
A link to the story about the mysterious Brass Rat from the MIT student life website:
http://studentlife.mit.edu/vietnamring
It seems that the first step is to go through the MIT records to (1) identify the class JMT graduated with by the design of the ring, and (2) go through the list of people with the initials J.T.M. who received an MS degree that year. There should be only one or at most two candidates. My guess is that the first names of the owner of the ring are John Thomas or James Thomas. Once the name of the owner his known, the alumni association might have contact info (however outdated) for him that might lead to him or his family.
ReplyDeleteMy domestic partner Andy is a graduate of MIT and a member of the alumni association. I am sure he would be glad to help you. Please contact me at colleen@identifinders.com and I will get him in touch with you.
Colleen, it's been a year later and the mystery is still unsolved. Have your partner contact the MIT alumni association (see the video) if he would like to help solve this.
DeleteAs I'm prior Military and a Genealogist I believe I can give you my thoughts, while reading the supporting detail's I couldn't help but question the MIT alum may not have been in the Military. A Soldier at War would have found comfort during engagements having a lucky charm. The other thought was an Officer KIA as an MIT grad would have been a highly sought commodity at this period of time. More times than not Soldiers make pacts to deliver personal effects to Families in the event they fall in Combat. Question 1. What Regiment, Company, Attachment was the Soldier? Question 2. What Region or Province were they KIA and the date~? It may be as simple as finding a Company Commander the Soldier was subordinate of. Hope this helps any further assistance I can offer please e-mail at- gatekeeperlive1979@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteAs I'm prior Military and a Genealogist I believe I can give you my thoughts, while reading the supporting detail's I couldn't help but question the MIT alum may not have been in the Military. A Soldier at War would have found comfort during engagements having a lucky charm. The other thought was an Officer KIA as an MIT grad would have been a highly sought commodity at this period of time. More times than not Soldiers make pacts to deliver personal effects to Families in the event they fall in Combat. Question 1. What Regiment, Company, Attachment was the Soldier? Question 2. What Region or Province were they KIA and the date~? It may be as simple as finding a Company Commander the Soldier was subordinate of. Hope this helps any further assistance I can offer please e-mail at- gatekeeperlive1979@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteyour post is really superb!
ReplyDeleteKia Weston
Since many men served with/befriended other soldiers that enlisted near them, may it be possible to contact the Veteran's Administration office near where Adams enlisted to see if there are any men that enlisted from that area with those initials? They may be more forthcoming than other military agencies even with the FOA. Also, is it possible to check the names on "The Wall" for someone with those initials?
ReplyDelete