Return of Lost Wallet Connects Man with Past

When Bill Fulton of Baker City, Oregon, heard a knock on his door last month, he never expected to be reunited with an artifact from his past.

The woman at the door was holding an old billfold that Fulton had lost 63 years earlier, when he was a 15-year-old student at Baker Middle School. It had been recovered when the school's bleachers were being renovated.

Fulton, 78, told the Baker City Herald that he does not remember losing the wallet—but seeing it again has brought memories of his youth flooding back.

"I've been thinking pretty strong about it," he told the newspaper. "Sixty-three years back in history is a long time. I’ve covered a lot of country since then."

For example, the bicycle license in the wallet reminded him of his days delivering medicine on his bike for a local drug store. After that, Fulton served in the Army during the Korean War, had a family, worked at a lumber company and retired.

He told the Associated Press that the return of the lost wallet has given him inspiration to think about the passage of time and reflect upon his life.

"It's hard to believe that the times have gone so fast," he said.