Claim your contest prize.
Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 2:25 amhttp://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/23/buried ... index.html
TULSA, Oklahoma (AP) -- R.E. Humbertson, wherever you are, you are the winner of "Miss Belvedere," the rusty 1957 Plymouth hauled from its leaky vault last week after being buried for a half century.
Humbertson, born July 1921, or his or her closest living relative, has five years to claim the two-door hardtop that drew international attention when it was unearthed, organizers announced Friday.
When the car was buried in 1957, hundreds of people submitted guesses on what Tulsa's population, which was around 250,000 in 1957, would be in 2007. Humbertson's guess of 384,743 was only slightly off the official U.S. Census count of 382,457.
There were more than 800 guesses, ranging from zero to 2 billion, written on a paper list and postcards inside a time capsule buried in the concrete vault, supposedly tough enough to withstand a nuclear attack.
"She doesn't belong to anybody, somebody's going to belong to her," said event organizer Sharon King Davis, whose grandfather helped bury the Plymouth.
Davis and others announced the winner at East Tulsa Dodge, where the car had been on display the past week.
True to form, it was a circus: Dozens of onlookers crammed into the showroom to get one last look at the rusted-out car, snapping photos with cell phone cameras and chitchatting about what they'd do if they won her.
"I'd throw up my hands and say somebody help me," joked Terry Templin, who was in his 20s when the Plymouth was buried. "My wife wouldn't want it in the garage."
The entries were examined this week by the audit, tax and consulting firm of Deloitte, where a team of volunteers plugged the names and guesses into a spreadsheet to determine a winner.
Several people listed their birthplace as "Indian territory," and dates of birth ranged from 1888 to 1957.
If Humbertson or his or her heirs don't come forward, the gold and white Belvedere will be held in trust for five years, according to the state's Unclaimed Property Act.
After that, a judge or court will decide what to do with it.
"The eyes of the world are still on Tulsa and Miss Belvedere," Davis said.
TULSA, Oklahoma (AP) -- R.E. Humbertson, wherever you are, you are the winner of "Miss Belvedere," the rusty 1957 Plymouth hauled from its leaky vault last week after being buried for a half century.
Humbertson, born July 1921, or his or her closest living relative, has five years to claim the two-door hardtop that drew international attention when it was unearthed, organizers announced Friday.
When the car was buried in 1957, hundreds of people submitted guesses on what Tulsa's population, which was around 250,000 in 1957, would be in 2007. Humbertson's guess of 384,743 was only slightly off the official U.S. Census count of 382,457.
There were more than 800 guesses, ranging from zero to 2 billion, written on a paper list and postcards inside a time capsule buried in the concrete vault, supposedly tough enough to withstand a nuclear attack.
"She doesn't belong to anybody, somebody's going to belong to her," said event organizer Sharon King Davis, whose grandfather helped bury the Plymouth.
Davis and others announced the winner at East Tulsa Dodge, where the car had been on display the past week.
True to form, it was a circus: Dozens of onlookers crammed into the showroom to get one last look at the rusted-out car, snapping photos with cell phone cameras and chitchatting about what they'd do if they won her.
"I'd throw up my hands and say somebody help me," joked Terry Templin, who was in his 20s when the Plymouth was buried. "My wife wouldn't want it in the garage."
The entries were examined this week by the audit, tax and consulting firm of Deloitte, where a team of volunteers plugged the names and guesses into a spreadsheet to determine a winner.
Several people listed their birthplace as "Indian territory," and dates of birth ranged from 1888 to 1957.
If Humbertson or his or her heirs don't come forward, the gold and white Belvedere will be held in trust for five years, according to the state's Unclaimed Property Act.
After that, a judge or court will decide what to do with it.
"The eyes of the world are still on Tulsa and Miss Belvedere," Davis said.
