The following excerpt is found from a fascinating story written by Mary Norkol for the November 7 Charlotte Observer website.
Willie Jean Caldwell finally knows his name. At 76 years old, he’s known as “Cowboy” by his friends and caretakers at the Recovery Ranch, a haven for recovering addicts in western Horry County [So. Carolina]. After taking him in from a local hospital nearly two years ago, ranch owner Christa Reynolds couldn’t figure out his name. She couldn’t find a trace of his identity.
Arriving at the hospital, Caldwell didn’t have a birth certificate. He didn’t have an ID. He didn’t have a social security card. His memory was unreliable.
So Caldwell, nameless at the time, became “Cowboy,” a reference to the description on hospital records when staff didn’t know his name: “American cowboy (Black male).” The name has become a persona. An old-fashioned cowboy hat has become an unofficial uniform sometimes accompanied by reflective sunglasses. He’s settled in at the ranch, he has friends and a routine. But something’s been missing: his identity.
After almost two years and countless dead ends trying to find relatives or personal documents, a “happy ending” has finally come to fruition. Reynolds and a social worker, Lisa Hyatt, have tracked down Caldwell’s birth certificate and some of his siblings. “It feels better,” Caldwell said. “A whole lot better.”
Three decades ago, Cowboy dropped his wallet. Working in an orange grove near Orlando, Fla., it was lost. With it went his state ID and any other identification he carried. So began a winding tale of twists and turns that would result in a search for his identity spanning four states and nearly two years. He fell through the cracks of the system, lacking a social security number, a driver’s license, stable housing, secure employment or contact with family.
Read more at: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/south-carolina/article255465166.html#storylink=cpy