Local Fort Walton Beach resident Curt Palermo never thought he would see his Louisiana State Championship Wrestling ring again after pawning it 11 years ago in Fort Walton Beach to pay bills and get money for food during a difficult period in his life.
- But thanks to a series of events, including a chance encounter on Facebook and the generosity of a local thrift shop owner, Palermo was reunited with his ring and the memories it holds.
Palermo, who referees high school wrestling matches and helps run the Officials Association for the Panhandle, recounted the unexpected moment he realized he might be able to get his ring back.
“Earlier this week, I got a Facebook message from a guy named Jeremy Carter out of the blue.. It was just a random Facebook message from a guy I did not know,” said Palermo. “And the message is, ‘Hey, did you win a wrestling state championship?’ I just said yes. And he asked if this was my ring and showed me pictures from an eBay listing.”
Carter, who stumbled upon the ring while browsing eBay, was able to track down Palermo with a little online research using details from the ring. After finding Palermo on Facebook, he sent him the eBay link. Palermo says he immediately put in a bid and was surprised to discover that the seller, Greg Tucker, owned a local thrift shop (Maddie Moon Designs) just a mile away from his house.
When Palermo visited Tucker’s store to inquire about the ring, he was shocked to discover the story behind its journey.
- “He went in the back and he pulled it out and there was my ring,” said Palermo. “Greg bought it from another thrift shop that acquired it from a storage auction. So this had been bouncing around Fort Walton Beach, I guess from thrift shop to pawn shop for years.”
Tucker, who has had his own struggles in the past, empathized with Palermo’s situation and ultimately decided to give the ring back to him for free. He also told Palermo that he had actually already sold the ring once, but there was an issue with the buyer’s address and it was ultimately re-listed on eBay.
“The ring belongs to him. He’s earned that,” said Tucker. “For me, I’ve had some tough times and I’ve done some things that I wish I hadn’t done, especially pawning things. My life is turned around now and there are things I wish I had gotten back that I pawned. So when he told me his story, I said, ‘I’ve been there, done that.‘ It’s his ring, not mine.”
Palermo was touched by Tucker’s kindness and decided to pay it forward by making a donation to the Autism Society, after learning that Tucker has children on the spectrum.
“My mom was here at the store and she said ‘if you want to give something, just donate it to the Autism Spectrum on the Emerald Coast,’ because we do awareness for autism,” said Tucker.
Tucker has children on the spectrum and he helps raise awareness for the local organization.
- “Brad Burnette runs a center in Niceville and they do “fun times” with the older children on the spectrum,” he explained. “They have bowling night, surf day, fishing, game night, pizza night and stuff for the older children to get them out of the house.”
- Curt made a donation as soon as he got home.
For Palermo, the reunion with his ring has brought back a flood of memories from his days at Belle Chasse High School outside of New Orleans and reminded him of the impact wrestling has had on his life.
“I didn’t realize how much that ring meant to me until I saw it again after 11 years,” said Palermo. “I’m never great at mementos and sentimental things so when I sold it, it was just a ring. But when it popped back up, when he sent me the picture, I was stoked to see it again and the thought that I might be able to get it back.”