I ordered this Hanks High School yearbook from a book seller in Arizona via ebay. It was from my same high school, just a decade prior to my attending.
I guess I bought it out of curiousity, if nothing more. I actually knew a handful of people in it (not to mention, several teachers) and found it interesting to see them with younger faces. In addition to slightly yellowing pages, autographs and even a graduation invitation still stuck in it's pages, there were student name cards scattered throughout the senior section (I'm surprised, if not shocked, that they remained in there after 24 years and not coming from the original owner!).
I never felt as if the book was mine, even though I "paid" for it. I feel that I bought the right to look through it, nothing more. After perusing the pages and reading all of the autographed comments, I decided to locate the book's original owner and tracked him down in Houston, TX. I located him in less than 10 minutes and sent him an email explaining the situation and offered the book back to him.
He responded back within an hour, grateful that I had made the offer (and had been thoughtful enough to do so), but also to inform me that he wasn't even remotely interested in having it back. He said that "that part of his life was over" (and I understand that, completely--just didn't think others thought that way, too), and for me to "enjoy it."
We corresponded a couple of more times. He told me he actually moved away from El Paso after his sophomore year, and had no clue how his Freshman edition yearbook wound up in Arizona. I bid him farewell, but not before once again letting him know that I still consider the yearbook to be his, if he changes his mind...
