Lost With The Luggage - Dorthy Ann Richards

I find it intriguing that Gutzon Borglum was sixty years old when he started to carve Mount Rushmore. Now, I'm not a big fan of man-made wonders, but that fact makes a big statement about "why you are only as old as you allow yourself to me."

So many people, back then and now, believe once they reach a certain age, that they can't or won't ever achieve their dreams. He at least knew not to give up. He didn't sculpt it all alone, he had about four hundred workers, and to his credit none of them died in this highly dangerous endeavor. It cost almost $1 million to complete.

There is a lot of controversy still, around the Mount Rushmore monument when it comes to the deep feelings many Native American have.

The land belonged to the Lakota tribe and is a sacred area. There is exception to the name Mount Rushmore, in that originally it was known as “Six Grandfathers” to native peoples.

Moreover, there are hurt feelings over a “white man’s version” over this tourist attraction that was developed solely to bring people to South Dakota. Add the fact, that Mount Rushmore is named after a high-flying New York lawyer, Charles E. Rushmore, and you can see why it is a mixed bag when it comes to how people feel about it.

Then, the proposal of re-naming it “Mount Crazy Horse” and constructing a Crazy Horse Memorial, elsewhere in the park is another can of worms.

I can't help but wonder about the Gutzon Borglum quote below, one that he made at the opening ceremony in 1930. I think he'd be a little shocked at the monetary effort to keep what he apparently knew, would eventually be erased by wind and rain.

Along with losing my luggage on a business trip to Rapid City, South Dakota -- I also lost some of my dignity. It was exceedingly difficult to remained poised and calm, as I stood locked outside my hotel door, clad in only a barely covering t-shirt, sans my underwear. Little did I know, I was about to be rescued by an unlikely heroine.

We all know that life is filled with those little embarrassing moments. It was my turn that night, as I stood above a lobby bursting with arrivals for a national unclaimed property conference. My room was the second one from the top of the sweeping grand stairway, overlooking the lobby.

That meant anyone below had a clear view of more of me than I ever wanted to expose publicly. All they had to do was look up. Since most of the attendees were men -- I was mortified, as I frantically tried to figure out how to get out of this mess.

Fourteen hours earlier, when I took a flight out from Ronald Reagan Washington National airport, I was excited. The Fortune 500 company I worked for, had selected me to speak before this large group that included governors of several states, state treasurers, and other notables.

Newly hired as a market research analyst for this internationally known credit bureau, we had something to sell -- your information. My career at the time, would be defined in how successful I was, in selling all of the states -- our plan to house their unclaimed property records in the credit bureau's vast computer network. Making an good impression was key to that challenge.

A lengthy flight delay when changing planes, allowed my luggage to arrive somewhere -- just not there. Gone were $300.00 designer suits, shoes, and accessories. My only carry on, was my lap top computer and my purse.

Arriving at that hotel late in the evening, I checked in just five minutes before the hotel gift shop closed. Tired, nervous, and unhappy -- I was just glad to be able to purchase needed toiletries, and the one Dances With Wolves t-shirt, that was to be my nightgown.

My hastily plan for a "save," was to get up early if my luggage never arrived. I would then beat it to a nearby dress shop to buy a suit and shoes -- all before my first introduction as a speaker. Thinking everything would turn out OK, after taking a shower and ordering room service, I noticed a hotel directive. It was informing guests that they needed to place their tray on the stand just outside the door, once they were done eating.

Since my undies were already hand washed and hanging in the bathroom, I unwisely decided to peek out the door. I wasn't about to get dressed in the clothes I'd worn for more than sixteen hours after showering. If no one was coming, I would slip my food tray unnoticed onto the stand. It was the final slap of Murphy's Law when that door shut behind me in an unguarded moment, and locked me on the outside.

"Oh no! This can't be happening," I thought, as I looked frantically for a hotel employee down the hall to the left. Of course, no such phantom was to be seen. I looked to my right. To my horror, as I stared down to the open lobby below the circular sweeping staircase -- here came four men and a woman up the stairs, headed directly for me. There was no place to hide.

I stood red-faced. They not only came up the stairs and gawked at me, but said nothing, as they continued their conversation. I was even more humiliated when they came to a halt in front of the room next door. After what seemed like the world's longest conversation, the men bid the woman good-bye.

She was just putting her key in her door when she looked over at me and heartily laughed.

"I've been locked out of my room a few times myself. I'll get someone up to open your door, come on in. Next time, you probably want to wait till you have your drawers on before you step out of the room. My name's Dorthy, but most people call me Ann."

The woman seemed vaguely familiar. I was grateful she spared me further embarrassment, but once back in my room -- all I could think of was going to sleep, and forgetting that day. I will admit, I sincerely hoped I wouldn't run into her, or the men she was with, for the rest of the conference. I blush easily and I just knew I'd be blushing all over again.

Stylistically, Rapid City, South Dakota isn't as fashion conscious as Washington, D.C. Business suits were in short supply, but I made it back to the hotel with about twenty minutes to spare before my first speech.

Naturally, I almost turned and ran when the grinning men who had been with my rescuer, were sitting in the front row. Stick a musical instrument in front of me and I'm the biggest ham -- ask me to speak before a large audience I'm a basket case until I get started.

In walks my next door hotel neighbor with a large entourage of people. My worst nightmare is continuing apparently, as now I was even more nervous. Just before she took her seat, she came up to the podium.

"Relax sister! Don't worry about them, just picture them without their drawers on, knowing that at least you have yours on today."

It was only then, that I realized that she was at the time, Governor Ann Richards of Texas. Since I already felt stupid, suddenly I realized it was time to get over myself, and just do what needed to be done. There was no sense in being nervous.

I learned some valuable lessons from all of this:

• Always travel with at least a complete change of clothes, that isn't checked baggage.
• Never step outside your hotel room without your key card in hand.
• Never step outside your hotel room without your underwear.
• Don't forget to pack your sense of humor.
• Never let public speaking intimidate you.

My luggage on that trip was hopelessly lost forever. In the week that followed, going to this part of the U.S. was immensely fun -- from seeing Mt. Rushmore, to going to the Sage Creek Wilderness area, to the Triple U Buffalo Ranch (where Dances With Wolves was in part filmed), and enjoying what Rapid City had to offer. This was a business trip that turned into a real vacation and one place I would recommend to any family looking for an old west experience.

Banks, employers, utilities, insurance companies, stocks, security deposits, safety deposit boxes, and other financial institutions are required by law to turn over unclaimed property or safeguard unclaimed property to the state.

This can happen, even in cases where you’ve simply not had any activity with your account (even though you may remember that you have it).

The majority of states hold your money, and supposedly will make every effort to find you to return it. At least that’s the way it’s supposed to work. Reality is that their efforts may be minimal (such as running ads in certain newspapers for you to discover that you are owed money).

Another truth is that a few states make it exceedingly difficult for you to claim your money, going as far as you needing to prove that you lived at the address where the original money was recorded. Also, it may take six weeks or more for your claim to be processed.

Don't let any of that deter you, if you believe you have unclaimed property. Start your process by checking out Missing Money, then expand your search by looking at the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, and then follow up directly, with searches in any states you may have lived in, or worked in -- by contacting the state comptrollers office directly.

It is important to know that any time someone contacts you by mail or the Internet regarding unclaimed property that you should never ever pay anyone to claim your unclaimed property.

In Rapid City, at Mount Rushmore, etc. you will find black gold jewelry being marketed to tourists. Some of these pieces can be extremely beautiful and range widely in prices.

Normally pure gold is yellow, and most of us are familiar with white gold. However, gold can also be green (by adding silver) and red. The red gold is achieved by adding copper to the gold content. Rose gold is also known as Black Hills gold or Russian gold.

It’s important to know if you intend to buy some that the usual formula for making this gold is seventy-five percent gold and twenty-five percent copper. Don’t be fooled by claims that jewelry is “pure rose gold.”