VOL. VIII No, 2

ottLcial. F1.a.rJ ~/l. iAe 1977 WotWL COflf)ll.eA-1 ot Vexill.ol.o9-!f 5 e1eded

Results of the contest to select a design for the official flag for the 1977 World Congress of Vexillolo­gy, which will be held here in the United States, have been announced. The winning design was subllitted by Mr. Steven Stringfellow of Chicago. A bold, abstract fl77" in red fiJibriated white, is displayed on a blue field. Two yersions of the design were approved, a square one and a rectangular one. Stringfellow is Art Production Manager of Krantzen Studio, one of the nation's largest catalogue photography studios. Stringfellow, like his father, has had a life-long career in graphic arts. His interest in flags began when he was only seven or eight, his mother brought him SOJBe _all flags. His special interest is in .. edem flags and in pol1 tical influences on flags. While sening in the U.S. Amy, he wrote a series of weekly newspaper articles for an Army news­paper in Europe, dealing with the flags of NATO aeabers, each accOllpanied by an illustration, to acquaint U.S. soldiers in Europe wi th the various flags they might see during their tour of duty.

The jury of selection, appointed at the NAVA meeting at Baltiaore. included Paul Chadbourne Mills, Director of the Santa Barbara MuseUlll of Art, ChairaanJ Anders Holmquist, artist and flag designer of New York Cit;n and JUles Clark of Bel Air, Maryland.

The rectangular version of the flag was produced in t1llle to 'be shown at the World Congress in Holland, and was lIade by the fim of NAVA lIlember John Tuteur, Para­lIlount Flags of San Francisco.

Stringfellow is an enthusiastic fan. He states, liMy interests have been greatly enhanced over the years by the work the Fl~ Research Center has done and aade available through its publications. I still have the very first allleographed copy of the Flag Bulletin. Un­fortunately, during .ilitary senice and the iJl.lllediate years thereafter, I lost contact with the Center. So, my library is not as cOIDplete as I would like it to be.

MI, as I 811 sure .any others are, &II personally in­debted .oat directly to Dr. Whitney Smith, Jr. who has done such an unbelievable aaount of work in a field he has made known as Verlllolgy."

Addi tiona.l 77 World Congress flags can . be ordered through the Flag Research Center and Paramount Flags.

AVA

EIS April - June, 1975

THE OFFICIAL SYMBOL OF CANADIAN OLYMPIC TEAMS

Symbol of the 41st Interna­tional Eucharistic Congre~s

International Women's Year

FLAG BILL THREAT TO LIBERTI GROUP CLAIMS I A proposed bill that would make ita criminal offence to desecrate the maple leaf flag con­

stitutes a danger to freedoa of speech, the Canadian Federation of Civil Liberties and Human Rights Association say,

The bill, drafted by Liberal member of Parliuent Leonard Hopkins (Renfrew North -Nipissing East), would Make it an offence - punishable by six months in prison or a $500 fine, or both - to insult, degrade, mutilate or desecrate the flag of Canada.

(fro. The Toronto Star - 29 March 1975)

51st STATE. SUPERIOR?: -Superior, the 51st state? Yes, says Michigan State Rep. Dominic Jacobetti, a Democrat frOll Negaunee. He wants the upper peninsula

to sec~de from Michigan and become the state of Superior. Jacobetti said northern residents want to break away from the lower peninsula because

downstate politicians i~ore or short-change them. The proposed state, he said, could introduce legalized gambling as a source of revenue.

(frOE The Democrat & Chronicle - 17 April 1975)

STATES CLASH OVER SYMBOLs Oregon, the Beaver state, is not happy about the prospect of' sharing the beaver with the state of New York.

That was the sentiment expressed by state officials after reports that the New York Legislature was preparing to adopt the beaver as the official II8JIIJIIal of that state.

The beaver, much prized for its pelt in the 19th century, has been the official state an.1u.1 of Oregon since 1969 and the unofficial state animal for lIore than a centur,y. It appears on the state flag.

In another deve1optlent, the Connecticut Senate passed over the squirrel, deer and aperm whale and proposed that HOllO sapiens (hUMan being) be made the state anaal.

(frOll fbe Democrat &: Chronicle - 17 April 1975)

FLAG THIEF ROBS SMALLEST CHURCH I The ua11est church in the United sta tea has lost one of its most cherished possessions to a thief.

An Aaerican flag, which once CO"l'ered a soldier's casket at Arlington National Ceaetery, was stolen from the little. steepled white church which has a capacity of two persOlls and has beeaae a tcmrlst attraction along U.S. 219.

MI cult imagine why anyone would do such a thing," said P.L. Milkint, who built the church years ago as a f&ai1y shrine.

IOThe flag had a lot of sentimental value for.any of us around here." The flag once covemd the casket or his brother, Anthony, a World War I veteran, and

was returned frOll Arlington to the church in 1958. Pencils entering the chapel, which has roOll for two to kneel, hear a recorded semon.

(from The Pittsburgh Press - 11 October 19'74)

TORONTO'S NEW FLAGa An ancient joke tells of an unfeeling aother reassuring a hoaely but nenoW!! da;ughter who was afraid of being kidnapped. "'Nobody's going

to carr.r you off a.t night, darling - not past the first lup post. It We a:r:e rellinded of this, sOliehow, on learning that the city of Toronto has postponed.

the unufacture and sale of copies of its new ei vic flag until it capletes legal pre­cautions to prevent the design being pirated.

When the flag was unveiled last November, it roused a. profound lack of enthusiau, which has grown deeper with the passing weeks. The design - a stylized version of the City Hall (designed by Mr. Renato De Santis, a student at George Brown College), plus a maple leaf - looked aore like an uninspired tourist windshield sticker than a real flag. Perhaps the kindest comment was that of' Alderu.n Edward Negrl.dge I "I don' t think it' s too bad - if you look a.t it frOil a distance. It

(editOrial in '!be Toronto star - 1 February 1975)

IILe hVlAOnal {!.art o/- I\fIVI/ .lnemDeA, John L. C IZlM/.J

7:s RIVER

"The flag is purple, with all lettering, devices and fringe in white. It 1s u.de of silk taffeta.. The Oak leaf and Acorn has been a personal totell for lIany years ued to aark personal belongings and caaping gear. Originally only one leaf and one acorn were used. but as our fwly grew, one leaf was added for each daughter and one a.com for each son •. At the tiae of rendering this flag, wa had three of each. The.A.:rlls of Cross, personally designed sinee the flag, bears four of each.

The lettering "River Jack" refers to a nicknue conferred upon lie sOlle 27 years ago as a result of explorations of Western rivers in behalf of the Explorer Scout Program of the Boy Scouts of AMerica. Under this name a coluan on swrYival

techniques in the out of doors was published during 1949 in several Utah newspapers. The two stars designated IIY position, at the t1lle, as Assistant Scout Executive with the Utah National Parks Council, B.S.A.

FrOM the rank of Sh1p.-COIIIUIi tteeu.n upwards each officer has a designating f~ which is fimm 1'rOl\ the ya.rd.am of the ship while he is on board. (1)

Flags of all Local Officers above the Ships Officers carry two stars,·l in upper. 1 in lower left camera. (2)

Needless to say, this flag was not official with the Boy Scouts of Merica, but was accepted and flown on several occasions by Sea Scout Ships while I was attending officW duties. It bas traveled lIIost or the water courses of Westem United. States, kas f'1GD. trOll the top of Rainbow Bridge and a.ecoapanied first t1Jae conquests of rivera and canyems or Meso-oerica.

The color at the field was accepted a.s a favorite of' B'1 wife. The aeasurelllants are 21 inch hoist x J4 inch fly with a two inch fringe.

The flag was made in 1953 by Violet G. Cross.-

. pRII'fVtAGS ARE FLOWN IN MONGOLIA At-JD IT IS BELIEVED A PRAYER HAS BEEN UTTERED EACH TIME

THE BANNER FLVTTERS IN TIiE WIND

(1) The Sea Scout Manual - Boy Scouts of Merica 1947 edition, P • .58. (2) Op. Cit. p. 175 •

.lii~LA~F SAUDI ARABIA IS THE ONLY NATIONAL

EMBLEM THAT IS NEVER FLOWN fir HALF-MAST­LOWERING IT 15 CONSfDfREO A SIGN Of [)ISRESPECT TO THE f)ElTY

The City of Toronto's coat of arms was designed by an indigent who needed the money to pay. his hotel bills. William Lyon Mackenzie, the city's first mayor, discovered the artist sketching for peimies in a bar.

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UNCHANGED: The entrance to Fort Oranje on St. Eustatius looks much the same today as in 1776,

when a sea salute fired there made history, and bound the tiny island sentimentally to the U. S.

Tiny Isle Proud Of Salute to U. S.

mSTOBlC: From these guns at Fort Oranje on St. Eustatius, a historic salvo was fired Nov. 16, 1776. Firing their· guns out to sea, the government of the little island became the first to official: ly recognize a United States ship.

On Nov. 16, 1776, the United States brig-of-war U.S.S. Andrew Doria, captained by Isaiah Rob­inson, sailed into the port of Oran­jestad on St. Eustatius Island.

St. Eustatius-part of the Neth­eriands Antilles in the West Indies -is south of Puerto Rico.

Governor Johannes de Graaf or­dered a salute to be fired by can-non.

Honored New Nation The salute was in honor of the

United States of America, then the newest nation on earth.

The salute was also the fIrSt one ever given outside the U. S. to the new nation.

The 1,200 residents of St. Eustatius, better-known as Statia, still commemorate the incident

every Nov. 16. The minor historical event was,

at the time, a daring action that eventually spelled the economic ruin of the 12-square-mile island.

The Dutch at the time were at war with England, and the Eng· lish eventually were to take re­venge for the breach in diplomatic protocol.

Four years after the salute, a. British fleet under the command of Adm. George Brydges Rodney attacked Statia, capturing 150 ships and $9,000,000 in merchan· dise. -

The town of Oranjestad, which once had a. population of 11,000, was left in flaming ruins.

Ruins Still Visible St. Eustatius never recovered.

The colorful. brochure accoapanying this issue of KAVA NEWS presenting the fasci­nating stories behind the 50 state flags or the Uni~d States of AIlerica is pre­sented with the cOllp1iaents of the State Mutual Insurance Coapany of America.

Where once there was one of the most important trading centers in the Caribbean, the British left des· olation. Many of the ruins are still

} visible. Today St. Eustatius is hopeful

of being turned into an important tourist center.

In the government compound at nearby Fort Oranje stands a: flagpole from President Franklin I D. Roosevelt, who in 1939 com· memorated the brave action of Governor de Graaf.

trOll. GRIT 19 J~ua.ry 1975