Maria Guzman, who passed away in September, found a photo album in her front yard near SW 188th Street and 129th Avenue after Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
She knew it would be important to salvage for some family that may have lost everything, so she meticulously cleaned up the album, drying the photos one by one and putting the album back together. She then started carrying the album with her to various places to see if anyone could identify or help her find the owners and never had any luck.
When she passed, her son, Jesus Guzman, CEO of Shell Lumber & Hardware, wanted to complete his mom’s unfinished business and find the owner of the album and reached out to Miami’s Community Newspapers. In fact, he and his wife have been walking the neighborhood in an effort to see if they have any luck.
The girl whose birthday seemed to be covered in the album was named Katherine.
“Since my mother passed away, I felt an overwhelming need to honor her memory by taking care of loose ends for her,” Guzman said. “Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to deliver this album to Katherine or her family, something my mother tried to do for so many years.”
If you recognize any of the people in this photo, contact Guzman at jesus@shelllumber.com
I hope everyone will share this so that Jesus can fulfill his mother's wish to find the owner of the album and return what might be lost memories to that family.