Posted on 04/12/2003 12:10:12 AM PDT by Fractional-American
Okay, all, which is your favorite version of the US flag? Aside from the Gadsden flag, mine are the current one and the 48-star one, which the Oi! band The Templars had behind them at their San Francisco gig.
dog
The Confederate flag, of course...... ;-)
http://www.stater.kent.edu/stories_old/97sum/070297/f2b.html
50-star American flag designer is ready for possibility of one more state
Lisa L. Lucas
For the last 39 years, in Napoleon, Ohio Mayor Robert Heft's high school project has flown over thousands of buildings and brought a sense of pride to many Americans. It is the United States flag.,p> "It started as an American History project," Heft said, who designed the flag at age 17 while attending Lancaster High School near Columbus, Ohio in 1958.
"I designed a 3 feet by 5 feet flag with 50 stars on it and I submitted it (as his project)," Heft said.
Heft received a 'B-' for the project, and went to his teacher, Stanley Pratt to discuss the grade. "I played a hunch that we wouldn't have a 49-star flag very long," Heft said. The United States had a 49-star flag for only one year, 1959.
Heft graduated from high school and was working at his first "real job" when he received a phone call from a congressman, telling him that his design had been selected to be the 27th flag of the United States. Later, he would get a call from President Eisenhower congratulating him.
Eisenhower invited Heft to stay at the White House for four days. Heft stood beside the president when his flag was raised at 12:01 p.m. on July 4, 1960.
Since that time, Heft has stayed at the White House 13 times and met nine presidents. He has also met many celebrities, such as Johnny Carson and Johnny Cash, and has presented them with flags for various occasions.
Heft's original hand-made flag is the only U.S. flag to have flown over five presidential administrations, every capital building and every U.S. embassy.
"I have pride and emotion about it (designing the flag)," Heft said. "The flag is a symbol of what America stands for. I don't just see a piece of cloth."
Heft now teaches business at Northwest State Community College and a flag design class for children.
Heft admits that he never dreamed he would designed something of the magnitude of the official flag of the United States.
If another state is admitted to the Union, a 51-star flag will be needed, said Jim Best, an associate professor in political science at Kent State.
"I sat down (in 1958) and made a 51-star flag," Heft said. "I would be the first person to design two flags if it gets accepted."
The 51-star flag Heft designed has six rows of stars. The rows alternate from having nine to eight stars in each.
Designing flags is not a job to Heft.
"It's a hobby, but my main goal in life is to tell this story and what it means," Heft said. "I try to put a face on patriotism. I speak at many places and talk about the flag and patriotism."
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