MESA — A Valley woman who felt connected to a sketch of a military member is hoping to reunite a piece of the past with its rightful owner.
For every single donation on the shelves inside Mesa's Arizona Humane Society thrift store, there's a story; Whether it's gently used clothing, out of the ordinary keepsakes or forgotten heirlooms that date back generations.
"We just recently got a couple of old, it was a birth certificate and a marriage license from the early, early 1900s,” said store manager, Dan Moore.
He says it's not uncommon for someone to call back after dropping off a donation and realize what they thought they didn't want is actually a piece of family history.
“I'm hoping it was donated by accident,” said Julie Kirk of Mesa.
A few months ago, Julie was last flipping through the donated pictures and frames.
She came across a pencil sketch of a smiling military member.
“Then I looked at the year and I thought, oh yeah, I can't leave this behind,’” she said.
The date on the bottom read 1944.
So, for two dollars, she brought it home with hopes that she could find the original home it came from.
Julie opened up the frame and checked out the back of the photo in hopes to discover a note or any information about the pencil sketch on who it may be, but there was nothing there.
The only info was the name “McVicker ’44” at the bottom.
Julie's grandfather served our country at Pearl Harbor during WWII.
Her father followed in his footsteps deploying to Korea before wearing a badge for the Chicago Police Department.
Neither are with us today but holding the two dollar sketch from a thrift store, she thought this is a piece of some family's history.
When asked if the photo reminded her of the military men in her family she said, “Oh sure, yeah, maybe even more like my grandpa.”
She's looking to add to the story of whoever is in the sketch by reuniting it with the rightful owner.
"I think even if you aren't military, that picture is going to tug at your heart strings because it's going to have some sentimental value,” she said.
It may be drawn in pencil but the story behind the man in the sketch and his service is everlasting.
