Coins, blankets, watches and other knick-knacks become life-long treasures for many people. They keep, collect and protect whatever they hold dearest. Speech professor Sandra Grant has held onto an item that hits the sweet spot.
Grant possesses a 28-year-old doughnut that dates back to the summer of 1984 when she decided to be creative and buy her boyfriend doughnuts for his birthday.
“I wanted to do something besides get him a gift, and I didn’t want to do cake because I can’t cook,” she said.
Grant bought a dozen doughnuts from a shop near Lawton, Okla.
She put 24 candles on one so she could sing Happy Birthday to him.
After the birthday party she was cleaning her house and discovered one of the doughnuts on a shelf.
“I was surprised he didn’t take it with him,” she said.
Grant wondered how long the doughnut would last. She placed it in the pantry of her home on a paper towel. When she moved to a new home she took it with her.
“It is kind of one of those useless things that you have had forever but just can’t let go of them,” she said.
For 19 years Grant has used the doughnut in her teaching. It comes up when she gives her classes their first assignment.
She has found it helpful to get students to talk about something unusual, something they may have kept for a while.
“You can’t just make a reference to an obscure thing and go on when your audience is listening,” she said.
Last year, a student suggested that she keep the doughnut in a box. The stale, dark-brown and sunken-in doughnut now resides in a box.
Grant is fascinated by the fact that it hasn’t molded or flaked away.
“I would have thought by now it would have deteriorated. I have no idea what I will ever do with it,” she said.
She jokingly says that after she dies, getting rid of the doughnut will be the first thing her family does.
Once, she had a student who wanted to know if he could take a bite out of it.
“Strange child, I said ‘no’. He said ‘why?’ I don’t know why there was a “why” for that but I said that I’m going to sell it on eBay and retire!” No one else has been interested in eating the thing.
“The strangest question I ever had anyone ask me was, ‘Was your boyfriend hot?’ Oh yeah, he definitely was. He was tall, lots of blonde curly hair and blue eyes. Everyone thought he was hot.”
“We stayed friends a long time. He knew about the doughnut and would just laugh about it.”
Grant has not eaten a doughnut in the 28 years. Holding on to this stale one is enough for her.
“I have nothing against doughnuts or people eating doughnuts. I just think that they aren’t good for you.”