Iowa woman who sent out a message on a random egg in 1951 discovers it in New York 72 years later

Handwritten notes are one of the craziest and most adorable things one can have. Whether it is from a loved one or a stranger, the emotions it evokes are delightful. People have left messages on paper, trees, tires, desks and whatnot. But that is nothing when we talk about Mary Foss Starn and an egg from a farm with a message from 1951. Starn was 20 when she wrote special messages on a few random eggs while packing them in cartons at an Iowa factory. She did that as a harmless prank but she was also hoping for responses and looking forward to making new pen-pals from big cities. Fast forward to the current year - Starn, who is now 92, discovered one of the eggs om which she had scribbled and she even got a response, that too a heartwarming one, reported The Washington Post. 

Starn used to work at an Iowa factory, where, along with her, several other employees would pack eggs and get them ready to be delivered all over the country. However, Starn and her friends were particularly packing for areas on the east coast. Being in her 20s or 30s, she and her friends decided to have some fun. What followed next was simply a crazy plan that turned out to be an emotional and heartwarming one 72 years later. Starn and her friends wrote notes with pencils on a few of the eggs that would be delivered. Starn wrote on one of the eggs, "Whoever gets this egg, please write to me." Her short note also included the date, which was April 2, 1951. It was her 20th birthday. 

Initially, the young girls waited for a reply. Likewise, Starn wrote on the egg, hoping to find a pen pal from New York. Later, she considered the incident to be a funny one to recollect. She would tell her family and her children the same when she got married a few years later. "We heard that egg story our entire lives. Our mom always thought it would have been fun to get a response," said daughter Laurie Bascom. However, now at 92, Starn finally received a reply. The man who found the egg was John Amalfitano.

Amalfitano posted a message on Facebook along with pictures of the egg. His post read, "Here's something you don't see every day. It's an egg from 1951. It was given to me by an elderly gentleman friend around 20 years ago. I'm guessing a shout-out from a young Iowa egg farm worker who dreamed of making exciting friends in faraway cities." He further mentioned that he was trying to contact Starn but in vain. The post was put up on the Facebook group called "Weird (and Wonderful) Secondhand Finds That Just Need To Be Shared." The post got many views and likes and the community helped the man find Starn.

The message reached Starn's daughter, Jacque Ploeger, via Facebook. She had to tell her mum and said, "Mom, remember those eggs you signed? One of them has been found!" Starn took some time, but even at 92, she remembered about the egg. She said, "It was pretty strange. I thought somebody must have had a really good refrigerator." Soon, Amalfitano posted an update mentioning that he had found Starn and they shared an interview with the news KCCI. Starn said, "That was my lottery, I guess." 

Starn and Amalfitano were truly in awe of the incident. Contacting the 92-year-old and recollecting all those crazy memories must have surely been a heartwarming moment for Starn and her family. Safe to say, what goes around comes around!