Aug. 29, 1964 - A 16-year-old Manhattan girl who inadvertently stole Ringo Starr’s religious medal returned it yesterday and her reward was paid off in kisses.
“I’ve had it a long time,” the Beatles’ drummer said as he retrieved his St. Christopher medal from Angie McGowan. The medal is a Catholic religious symbol denoting protection from danger while traveling.
“My auntie gave it to me,” Starr explained. “It’s very small, but it means a lot to me.”
Angie said she was with her mom and three teenage girl friends at the Hotel Delmonico at 2 a.m. today. When the Beatles arrived at 3:30, Angie threw her arms around Ringo’s neck to kiss him but was shoved back. “Then I looked in my hand; I thought I had a button, but it was a medal.”
Ringo went on a radio program being broadcast from the hotel and pleaded for the return of the gold St. Christopher’s Medal. “It means more to me than almost anything,” he said. “I’ve had it since I was 10.”
Angie was among the 150 girls who phoned to say that the had it. The others were fibbing to gain entry. Later, Angie and her three friends were allowed to present the medal to Ringo in person. Even at that high-security ceremony, 20 other fans managed to sneak in.
When Starr planted a kiss of gratitude on Angie’s cheek, photographers prevailed upon him to repeat it a score of times. Angie acquiesced gracefully.
Then Beatle Paul McCartney wandered into the broadcast studio suite and added his own kiss on Angie’s cheek.
“It was just wonderful,” sighed the blissful teenager. “Gee, I wish I could have met the other two.”
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