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Goose Creek man saves the day – and a ring

Published Wednesday, July 22, 2009 10:43 AM

By Stefan Rogenmoser
The Gazette

David Johnson worked years to earn his Webster University graduate school ring … but the prized possession vanished in an instant.

When Johnson lost the ring in murky lake waters, he assumed it was gone forever. The ring had settled into the black lagoon that is the bottom of Lake Moultrie after it slipped off Johnson’s finger during a recent lake excursion.

That was before Johnson met his new best friend.

Art DiFilippo is a lot of things: a restaurant owner, MBA college student, president of two metal detecting clubs — and most recently — the man who saved a cherished piece of jewelry.

DiFilippo found Johnson’s lost class ring and returned it last week.

Johnson lost the ring while swimming with his five-year-old daughter in Lake Moultrie on a Saturday in June. Johnson said he was tossing his daughter into the water near Overton Park in Moncks Corner when his graduate school ring came off his finger with his child.

After searching for an hour, Johnson found nothing. He left business cards with lifeguards, and offered a $100 reward.

On July 5 DiFilippo made his first trip to Overton Park to scan the shores and waters for artifacts using his waterproof metal detector. As he was packing up, a lifeguard told him someone lost ring and asked if he’d found it.

“I found the ring in 15 minutes,” said DiFilippo, who is also the southeast chapter president of the Federation of Metal Detector and Archaeological Club. The lifeguard gave one of Johnson’s cards to DiFilippo, who knew it was Johnson’s ring because his name is inscribed inside the band.

DiFilippo was determined to return it.

DiFilippo may like uncovering artifacts and relics, but for him doing what’s right never gets old.

“It’s really the right thing to do. The guy’s got his name on it,” said DiFilippo, president of Carolina Coin and Relic Association, a 19-member local metal detecting club he started three years ago. Because DiFilippo refuses reward money for what he finds, the $100 will go to the lifeguard who told him about the ring.

Johnson was out of town and unable to meet DiFilippo until last week. Johnson said earning the ring was an accomplishment and he felt a sense of relief once he knew it wasn’t forever lost at the bottom of a murky lake.

Now the Webster University ring has come full circle and is back on Johnson’s finger.

“It restores your faith in humanity,” said Johnson, who played football under Coach John McKissick at Summerville High School before graduating in 1984. “When you’re put to the test your true character comes out.”

Johnson said DiFilippo has a friend for life. “If I found something of somebody’s, I’d give it back. Art is a great person,” said Johnson, who is the sales manager for the Summerville-based General Mechanic Services Heating and Air. “I’m a big believer in karma. I believe things will come back to you.”

Johnson and DiFilippo have more in common than just class rings. Johnson was working full time and running a business while getting his MBA, and that’s exactly what DiFilippo is doing at Charleston Southern University, the school where Johnson graduated in 1989.

Along with his wife Karen, DiFilippo owns the Ye Ole Fashioned Ice Cream and Sandwich Café at St. James Avenue in Goose Creek.

After seven years of metal detecting, he says it’s not just his hobby, but a passion.

“This is the third ring I’ve been able to return,” said DiFilippo. “It’s the ethical thing to do.”

He also supports correct metal detecting procedures. His clubs have assisted police departments. “It’s kinda like trying to be a P.I.,” he said.

DiFilippo has found and returned a medallion at Westview Middle School’s playground in Goose Creek, a ring at Stratford High School, and a co-worker’s wedding band.

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