December 23, 2004

Help solve a photo album mystery Construction workers in Seattle's Rainier Valley neighborhood found an album full of photos documenting 40 years of a woman's life. There's even a name in the album, but she cannot be located in spite of the construction company's efforts. Perhaps you would recognize her?
posted by el_hombre 19 years ago
  • How strange. Certainly someone must know her.
  • Hm. A bit of googling (since I know absolutely nothing about the Philippines) says there are 78 provinces there, each with a provincial governor. And no websites with a definitive list of past governors. So that's out.
  • Well, this wouldn't happen if she didn't look very good. Therefore, if you value your privacy in the chance of a personal photo album being found by strangers, you only have one option: be ugly.
  • Pretty people all look the same.
  • So do ugly people.
  • a happy ending! a christmas miracle! December 23, 2004, Thursday, BC cycle 8:16 AM Eastern Time HEADLINE: Canadian woman's life history photo album found in Seattle DATELINE: SEATTLE BODY: Mari Lou Valley wasn't that concerned about the clothing and other items in the bag that vanished from a Greyhound bus luggage compartment, but the photograph album was another matter. Valley, 58, a native of the Philippines who does sales work, had painstakingly assembled the book with about 50 pictures dating from her childhood in the Philippines to show relatives. One photo showed former Philippines first lady Imelda Marcos, who Valley said was her godmother at her marriage. Another showed Valley being crowned Miss Med Tech at a university in Manila. On Wednesday she learned the album had been found by a construction crew preparing for a light rail transit line in the south end of Seattle. "I felt I have gotten back my life," Valley said. "Now I can show it to my friends, what I had achieved in my lifetime." She said she was traveling from her home town of Vancouver, British Columbia, to San Jose, Calif., in September and discovered her bag missing when she changed buses in Seattle. The nearly undamaged album was found several weeks ago by cleanup crews working with RCI Herzog. It contained three versions of her name - Mari Lou Valley, Mari Lou Valley-Latonio and Maria Latonio. Unable to find the owner, Herzog officials issued a public appeal and The Seattle Times published an article on the album Tuesday. The article was seen by a friend of Valley's father who contacted the newspaper Wednesday. "I'm really glad it's her and she'll get her memories back," RCI Herzog spokeswoman Lauren Robison said. "I'm thrilled and extremely relieved." Valley said she looked forward to reclaiming the album and meeting Robison.
  • How hot is she now?
  • I don't know, but I'd like to see photos of her daughters.
  • I'd like to see photos of construction workers intently poring over her photo album as they lean their weight against their shovels and wipe dirt-infused sweat from their bronzed brows onto their tight, transparently threadbare t-shirts.
  • oooh, me too. PY has the good ideas.
  • I'd like to have 4 construction workers with bronzed brows wearing tight, transparently threadbare t-shirts carry me in a palanquin while 6 others, dressed in loincloths fan me with peacock feathers.
  • Loincloths, eh? Well, as long as they still have on sturdy camel-colored construction boots too, I'd like that as well.