Several weeks ago, in my usual haste, I rushed to my purse to pay a bill and my checkbook was missing. I was on my way to a meeting and had little time to look for it. With my mind half on the meeting, I tried to figure out how I could have misplaced such an important item.
During the meeting, my cell phone rang. It was my dear husband, who said a nice man had just called and had found my checkbook in the Belk’s parking lot. I couldn’t believe it! I remembered darting into Belk’s looking for a last-minute gift, but, finding nothing, I had no reason to open my purse.
The kind man told my husband I could retrieve the checkbook if I would come to his address the next morning. My husband was assured that the man was “on the level, honest and upright,” so a few minutes after 7 a.m. I rang his doorbell.
A nice-looking gentleman came to the door with my checkbook and $6 in his hand. He told me that when he got out of his car (parked next to mine) he found a dollar bill. When he leaned over to pick up the dollar, he saw a $5 bill and then spotted my checkbook. He insisted on giving all of this back to me. After much insistence, I was able to give him only a token reward! He also told me he was a retired veteran and his wife was not well.
I write this to honor Mr. Harvey Dezern! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your honesty and integrity. I want all of Rowan and the world to know there are still honest folks around. I heard a sermon once by Dr. Bob Lewis stating that one could learn pretty much who a person really is by seeing three of his possessions — his checkbook, his address book and his holy book. It’s pretty obvious which one Mr. Dezern goes by!
— Dellene L. Gudger

Salisbury