Man finds Ill. woman’s wallet that had been stolen in 1973

Sandy Baumberger says she never expected to see her wallet again when it was stolen 35 years ago.

But it has been found by a 30-year-old dental student who tracked her down and returned it.

Eric Wherley says he found the wallet in a bathroom stall at school after a water pipe broke and loosened some ceiling tiles. The thief who stole the wallet apparently had hidden it in the drop ceiling.

The dark-blue patent leather wallet contained Baumberger’s driver’s license, library cards and Social Security card. It also had her student ID, a grocery list, and cloth swatches from her bridesmaids’ dresses.

Baumberger says she and her husband are planning to give Wherley a gift for his efforts.