Man On Quest To Find Stolen Walrus Tusks: 'I Just Want Them Back'

NORTH FORK, NY — For years, as he was growing up at his family's motel, the Silver Sands in Greenport, Terry Keefe played, as did countless other kids, around a case in the lobby that contained a pair of scrimshaw walrus tusks.

The tusks, he said, had been purchased by his grandparents at a Greenport yard sale in the 1950s. And now, those tusks are missing, Keefe said.

Keefe made an appeal on social media this week in the hopes of somehow, some way, bringing the tusks home.

The tusks, which had been in a display case in the basement of his house after the Silver Sands Motel was sold last year, were stolen sometime between April 14 and May 17, he said.

"My mother and I moved a lot of things very quickly from the motel to our basement, and these tusks were in a display case, which was pried open," Keefe said. "Our basement had been left unlocked for a week or so after the move."

While police searched tirelessly, so far, there has been no luck in finding the treasures, Keefe said.

So now, he's set out on a quest to find them himself, offering a $1,000 reward, no questions asked whatsoever.

"While scrimshaw like this had substantial value at one time, that time has passed, and we intended to offer them for donation in the name of my grandparents to any reputable museum that would take them," he said.

Speaking with Patch, Keefe said he and his mother had moved several decades' worth of records and boxes, as well as some heirlooms, including the tusks, out of the motel the week of April 13, 2022, when the sale took place.

"They were moved largely to our basement here at my home at Cove Circle, where we were intending to take a few months to sort everything out, which we have done," Keefe said.

The tusks were in a small coffee table display case, along with other smaller scrimshaw, and a vintage book, "The Cruise of the Montauk," by James McQuade, he said.

"The tusks were definitely in the case after the move — I saw them," Keefe said. "The case was then placed in a corner of the basement, along with dozens of other boxes. Around May 17, we noticed that the book was on the floor, and that the case was missing the walrus tusks. Someone had clearly pried the case open, as it had been nailed shut for decades."

Police were called on May 17, Keefe said.

The walrus tusks are steeped in memories of a time gone by, Keefe said.

"The walrus tusks were always in the Silver Sands Motel lobby since my memories as a child, which would be the early 70s. Many other people remember them, also."

Countless kids played near the case; scores of adults sat around the table, sharing coffee, drinks, and conversation, Keefe said. "Time went on, but the tusks remained there, for the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and the 2000s. It took a lot of physical effort to pry that case open and take them, but now they are gone."

For Keefe the tusks are symbolic of Greenport's history as a whaling port — and also, of the many memories that color his mind when he thinks about his family's motel and legacy.

"My grandmother told me that they would buy nautical antiques like the tusks at Greenport yard sales on any given weekend, for a few dollars," he said.

His grandparents, Florence Jurzenia, who grew up in Brooklyn, and Thomas Jurzenia, who grew up in Elmont, ventured east to Greenport after World War II, fueled by the dream of owning their own motel.

"They would have bought these tusks around the same time, and so yes, all of those memories are intertwined for me," he said.

Keefe emphasized that he knows little about the history of scrimshaw, other than that the tusks belonged to his family.

"We had been told they are unique in that flowers are scrimshawed on them, rather than a nautical scene," he said. "I'm of course not in favor of killing walrus for a decorative item in the present day. These are a historical object, from a different era."

Offering the $1,000 reward is Keefe's way of trying valiantly to find the tusks, such an important part of the fabric of his family.

"I am not going to be pressing charges on anyone," Keefe said. " I just don't want this piece of my family history and Greenport history to end up in the garbage somewhere. It is a 'no questions asked' reward. No one is going to be arrested. I just want them back."

If the tusks are found, they will be donated to a local museum; Keefe is open to suggestions

"To whoever took them, please just give them back. It was a mistake and no one is out to put you in jail. But you have taken part of a family's legacy that we would like back. They will go into a museum, where they can hopefully be viewed for many more generations," he said.

Anyone who has information about the tusks can reach Keefe at 310-902-6186 or at terrymovies@gmail.com.