From the Archives (1980): Killam students return found cash to owner

Originally Published June 4, 1980 – Four Killam Public School students found an envelope containing $44 outside the back of Killam Electric during a school clean-up campaign, and returned it to the owner, May 16.

Grade six students Kerry Busse, Danny Basterash, Brent Gaume, and Darren Olofson brought the envelope of cash to their teacher, Mr. Zettel.

The group then passed it on to Killam Electric, who identified the envelope as being the property of Red Deer Welding Supplies. Apparently the company’s driver had dropped the money while delivering to the store.

During the afternoon clean-up campaign, the four pupils were working on the alley behind Killam Electric. Kerry was picking up litter behind the store when he found the envelope in some mud. He called for the other boys, and together they opened the envelope. After discovering the contents, they called their teacher.

Red Deer Welding Supplies sent the Killam School a letter to be passed on to the boys, thanking them for the honesty. The company also gave the students some company pens and stickers.

The following is a letter sent to Killam Public School:

Dear Sir:

We write to express our sincere thanks to your students, who, while working on a clean-up campaign, found a cash envelope in the alley behind Killam Electric’s premises, then turned the envelope over to Killam Electric, for our driver.

This is a further indication that our young people, so often maligned by adults, are basically as honest, if not very often more so, than given them credit.

We are enclosing a few pens and company stickers, which young people seem always to be asking us for, to present to the students as a remembrance of our sincere good wishes to their futures.

Thank you again,
Yours sincerely,
Red Deer Welding Supplies.

*Editor’s note: occasionally historical articles contained misspelled names or date inaccuracies, as one couldn’t simply “Google” the correct answer in those days. For the most part, we try to republish the original story as it appeared.