The “Story” of the 1913

Western High School

Class Ring

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

     In November 2012, while “surfing” the Internet, a notice appeared in the upper corner of the screen for an antique 1913 class ring from Western High School.  What would the chances be that this ring belonged to a Detroit Western High School student?  The Seller of the ring was contacted by e-mail.  He responded initially with the story of how he had acquired the ring.  His daughter graduated the previous year and the ring company had sponsored a contest at the school she attended offering a prize of $200 off the purchase of a class ring to the student who came up with the oldest ring.  His daughter won the contest.  The ring, however, had no other significance and he was selling it on eBay for $65. The Seller did have contact information from the person who sold the ring to him. The original Seller was contacted and it was verified that the ring had belonged to Sophie Rhein who graduated from Western High School in 1913. A photo of the Class of 1913 appeared in the June 1913 graduation issue of the Beacon. 

 

     One hundred years later the Detroit Western High School Alumni Association would be awarding scholarships for the first time to the graduating Class of 2013.

 

     A bid on the ring for the asking price of $65 was made, and after waiting ever so patiently for the time to expire, the ring was acquired. 

 

     Meetings were held at the school regarding the awarding of the first scholarships by the Alumni Association, and the existence of the ring was brought to the attention of Ms. Henry, Western’s Career Counselor.  She, too, felt it very fitting then that a member of the Class of 2013 should wear this ring as she walked across the stage to receive her diploma one hundred years after Sophie Rhein’s graduation from Western High School. Julissa Tinoco did not know until just before the graduation ceremony that she would be the one selected to wear Sophie Rhein’s ring as she walked across the stage at Chene Park to receive her diploma. 

 

     On June 6, 2014, the tradition continued as the 101-year old ring was worn by Ashley Wilson as she crossed the stage at Chene Park to receive her diploma.  On June 5, 2015, Marleen Rubio-Orozco once again walked across the Chene Park stage wearing the now 102-year old ring as she received her diploma. On June 3, 2016, The Century Ring was worn by Lucero Perez as she crossed the stage at Chene Park. Lucero is the Valedictorian of the Class of 2016. On June 9, 2017, The Century Ring was proudly worn by Lizeth Martin as she crossed the stage at Chene Park.

 

     A plan exists to obtain a plaque and each year add the name of the wearer of the 1913 Western High School Century Ring to it. Its original owner, Sophie Rhein, must be smiling somewhere knowing that a tradition of wearing her 100-year old class ring in 2013 continues. 

 

  [More about Sophie Rhein]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1913

 

     When Sophie Rhein attended Western in 1913 she was part of a group of female students who, as a group, worked to promote voting rights for women when women were not allowed to vote at the time.

 

     The insert below is taken from the Class Prophecy of 1913 in the Graduation Issue of the Beacon.

 

     “Charlotte Wilson (Western High School Class of 1913) is very much in favor of woman suffrage, and any one would have thought so had they seen her parading through our halls with five votes-for women buttons adorning her dress, while the rest of us were content with only one.  Her cooperators will be Lucy Mitzenfeld, Anna Duncan and Sophie Rhein.  The first two, I believe, are ardent suffragettes, and Sophie, I know, is at least an operator.”