SUN CITY, AZ — “So, this is the watch we found,” said Norman Friedlander at his Sun City home Tuesday.
Norm says he needs the community's help.
Last Tuesday, he said he and his wife dropped off his two teenage grandchildren at gate four inside terminal three for an 8 p.m. flight out of Phoenix Sky Harbor to Seattle.
“The plane pulled out and Barbara and I started walking and all of a sudden, it was Barbara who said, look it, there’s a watch,” said Norm.
Sitting on one of the chairs was a Pulsar Chronograph men’s watch with a blue face.
He said it felt heavy and looked rather expensive.
Unfortunately, when he took it to lost and found, the department was closed.
He left a number of voicemails with lost and found that were never returned.
A day after bringing the watch home, he spotted an engraving on the inside.
“Here it has on the back of it, the man’s initials, Boeing, 30 years of employment, that’s a great thing, you just don’t hear stories like that,” said Norm.
As someone who spent nearly his whole career with just one company as well, Norm is now compelled to find the owner.
Assuming the watch was a retirement or anniversary gift, he called Boeing.
Hoping the Initials R.J.S and his 30-year date of 2017, which is also on the watch, would be enough to find him.
“And I said I found this watch at the airport, on the back of the watch it says Boeing, thirty years, and his initials, and he says does it have his full name and I said no it just has his initials and he said well I can’t help you,” said Norm.
It was discouraging but Norm says he’s not giving up.
“Listen any time someone works thirty years, whether he’s an assembly line worker, whether he was a janitor, doesn’t matter, that person was committed,” said Norm. “We don’t know if he was leaving Arizona to visit family in Washington or vice versa. I would just love to make sure he gets this back because I’m sure it means something to him. He was clearly wearing it.”
Norm is hoping someone in the community recognizes the watch, the initials, or the years of service to the aerospace company to eventually make sure its rightful owner lands it back on their wrist.
If you would like to get in touch with Norm, email Cameron.Polom@abc15.com