"It constantly reminds me of my mother."
This jade ring was a gift from my mother, Nellie Mae Van Orman Gill. She was living on the island of Guam at the time. She and her husband traveled to Hong Kong, and it was there where she spotted the ring. The ring came from China, better known as Red China then. It was 1969. I was 25. It was the height of the Vietnam War protests, and the Chicago riots. I was at Ohio State my graduate year to get my master's in communications. When she came to the States, the ring passed through U.S. customs without difficulty. She gave it to me as a present when I graduated with a master’s degree from Ohio University. She said Jade was to bring good health and to wear it always. I had the ring sized to fit and haven’t taken it off since. That was more than 50 years ago. The ring has stayed the same, but my hand is bigger. Since I’ve been wearing the ring, my health has been relatively good, but that’s not why I wear it. I wear it because it constantly reminds me of...
