Longtime NAVA Member Martin Francis Delivers 30th Flag Day Presentation in San Leandro, California.

Fifteen-year-old Joseph Olson could have found plenty of ways to spend his Saturday afternoon, but all he really wanted was to learn about the American flag. Joseph of San Leandro was one of about 100 people who took part yesterday in an early celebration of Flag Day at the San Leandro Library. The official holiday will be Wednesday. "I want to learn stuff about the flag that we haven't learned in school," Joseph said. "My father served in Desert Storm and a lot of people died under the flag, so I want to understand more about what motivated them to serve."
The 30th annual Flag Day event was sponsored by the city, the San Leandro Unified School District and the San Lorenzo Unified School District. The presentation was organized by Martin Francis, a flag historian who has lived in SanLeandro for 45 years. Francis has led the event for all three decades. Francis has shown tremendous leadership over the years, said Mayor Shelia Young. "He is the most patriotic man." "I don't think I've ever met anyone in my entire life who loved the flag more than you," she added as she presented a service award to Francis.

The event included speeches, refreshments and music by the San Leandro Municipal Band and various singers. The crux of the program was a 1950s-style slide presentation reminiscent of old government-sponsored safety addresses. The slide show described the history of the American flag and had pictures of its many incarnations. Several politicians attended the ceremony, as did Boy Scouts, religious leaders, and military veterans.

Noted Civil War Flag author and NAVA member DEVEREAUX D. CANNON JR. is featured in the nationally syndicated AMERICAN PROFILE magazine -- click here

5 April 2001

- KENNEDY DONATES FLAG COLLECTION -
Announcement by Lee Kennedy...

I am pleased to announce that the Kirkpatrick Science and Air Space Museum in Oklahoma City will receive my flag collection.

The collection brings together approximately 300 flags, mostly American; 150 books and research papers; and 50 sundry artifacts into a concise capsule of American history.  The flags provides a comprehensive summary of the 250 year history and 1000 year genealogy with samples of all the major flags, many of which are period nineteenth century specimens.  The
books comprise the literary core of American flag history, while the artifacts add a different perspective.

Locally better known as Omniplex, the Kirkpatrick Science and Air Space Museum is Oklahoma's largest and best attended museum, featuring more than 350 hands-on science exhibits and a significant collection of historic aircraft and aviation and space memorabilia.  As well, this 400,000 square foot museum is home to a large format domed theater, the state's only public access planetarium, the State of Oklahoma art collection, 10 acres of gardens and grounds, and a rich diversity of other exhibits and galleries.

Besides its permanent and scheduled exhibits, the Omniplex sponsors many educational classes and programs on science and history, and annually counts more than 130,000 school children from virtually every school system in the state as part of its 380,000 visitors.

This collection, one of very few in a public museum, will provide a unique addition of American history to the museum for students, teacher, visitors, and scholars.

Collecting flags is unique   arcane is perhaps more descriptive and given the limited availability of period flags, book and artifacts, collecting is certainly a slow and patient process, so I am especially grateful that Omniplex will keep the collection intact in Oklahoma City, where my wife and I grew up.

Omniplex plans to open its first major exhibit of the flags on Memorial Day 2001, running through Independence Day.
Please come join us.

NAVA MEMBERS "INVADE" FORT McHENRY

2 April 2001

At noon on Monday, April 2,  Ranger Vincent Vaise of the US National Park Service allowed NAVA members Harry Oswald  and Peter Orenski the unique honor of raising a 9x12.6'  Star-Spangled Banner over Fort McHenry in Baltimore. Harry and Peter were visiting the famous Fort after attending a symposium on "Flag Making in the Early Republic" sponsored by the Star-Spangled Banner House in Baltimore on March 31.

Ranger Vaise is responsible for leading historic tours throughout the Baltimore and Washington areas and showed great interest in NAVA's activities.  He vowed to submit a couple of challenging flag questions to NAVA's website. This was his second encounter in as many days with NAVA members, having played host the day before to Raven Editor Ted Kaye, who was vacationing in the area with his wife Debbie and their two sons, Mason (a NAVA member) and Rob. That's  FOUR NAVA members in just two days!  Think of it: the Fort proudly withstood the 1500 shell-and-rocket  bombardment by the British on September 13-14, 1814, only to be invaded quite effortlessly by a band of NAVAniks some 187 years later!

Peter Orenski, better known locally as “Flagman,” hopes to make the proposal Monday at a Town Council meeting. ..... FOR THE REST OF THE STORY CLICK The News-Times: Local Waving the flag at Italy

Member DEVEREAUX D. CANNON, JR., NAMED EDITOR OF FlagWire 

SWANSEA, WALES (FlagWire) - Charles Ashburner, owner of the FlagWire news web site, announced on 19 January 2001 that Devereaux Cannon has accepted the position of Editor-in-Chief of FlagWire.

FlagWire is an on-line news site dedicated to reporting news involving flags and flag developments from around the world.

Cannon, who is president of the Confederate States Vexillological Association, is also a member of The Flag Institute and the North American Vexillological Association.  He is the author of three books on flag, the best known of which is his FLAGS OF THE CONFEDERACY - AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY.  His other books include FLAGS OF THE UNION - AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, and THE FLAGS OF TENNESSEE.

Ashburner said of Cannon, "I am aware of your skills and reputation, and [am] thrilled to pass the editorship on to you."

NAVA'S TED KAYE  PARTICIPATES IN PRESIDENT CLINTON'S LAST OFFICIAL ACT

Ted Kaye, NAVA member and managing editor of Raven, attended President Clinton's last official act in the East Room at the White House, three days before Inauguration Day.  The president honored history, culture, and the environment in a ceremony promoting William Clark to the rank of Captain and declaring Pompey's Pillar in Montana a national monument.  (Meriwether Lewis had promised Clark a captain's commission, but the War Department only awarded him a second lieutenancy due to issues of budget and bureaucracy.  As Clinton put it, "some things never change.")  Pompey's Pillar, which Clark named for Sacagawea's infant son, is a sandstone rock outcrop on which Clark carved his name---the only remaining physical evidence of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

Ted is the executive director of Lewis & Clark Bicentennial in Oregon, the statewide coalition coordinating planning activities for 2003-2006.  He enjoyed the opportunity to see the White House first-hand, especially relishing the original presidential portraits on all the walls.  He noted that Clinton was flanked by the U.S. and Presidential flags, and the podium bore the seal of the President of the United States.

     Hunter Blain is only four years old, but he's become a media star for his ability to memorize and recall facts.  Hunter has memorized the flags of over 70 countries, all of the US Presidents in the order in which they served, and all 50 US states - and he did all of that when he was two years old.  His mother, Theresa Blain, says Hunter's abilities first became known during a car trip.  "He asked me where we were, and I'd show him on a map.  Later he would remember it."  A member of MENSA, and a first grader, Hunter attends Texas Tech University's Extended Studies program in Lubbock, Texas.  He is home schooled.

     Hunter has appeared not only on the Jay Leno show, but on the popular Regis and Kathy Lee Show, and he'll make an appearance at NAVA 34 in Lansing, Michigan.   

NEW Regional Vexillological Association Formed!

NAVA was just informed that on March 8 of this year the VEXILLOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE STATE OF TEXAS (VAST) received its official charter.  James Liston (former NAVA editor) is President, and Charles Spain (former NAVA President) is secretary/treasurer.

A contest for designing the flag and seal of VAST as well as the mastheads for its newsletter is underway, and your idea and proposals are actively solicited. Write to:

Charles Spain ... email = cspain@alumni.rice.edu

Snail mail = VAST, 504 Branard Street, Houston, Texas 77006-5018, USA

The prospectus says: "It is also time to pay your dues as a charter member.  Dues are only $10, and anybody, anywhere can join.  You don't even have to be a Texan -- we'll just assume you couldn't get here yet."

I'm sure y'all will want to drop our Texan colleagues a line to wish them well in this excellent new vexillological undertaking.

NAVA Treasurer Peter Orenski is in the news again, this time with a US FLAG POSTER containing an unusual set of stripes.  The 7 red stripes of the flag collectively contain every word of the U.S.  DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, BILL OF RIGHTS, NATIONAL ANTHEM, and the U.S. CONSTITUTION. 

NAVA member Richard R. Gideon was selected by the MUSEUM OF THE CONFEDERACY, Richmond, VA, to fabricate and supply Robert E. Lee Headquarters Flags to the museum for the year 2000 celebration of Robert E. Lee.  

NAVA member and architect Secundino (Dino) Fernandez  won the first prize in an International Architectural Design Competition for the design of the World War II Memorial at Annapolis,  Maryland three years ago.  Construction started in the winter of 1997, and last year the Memorial was completed.  Pictures of the memorial are available at - SFArchitect.com.  

With a collection of over 500 flags, member Gerry McCavera brings many of those flags to school children in a presentation called "Flags Unfurled."  Students at Long Islands Public School 46 got to see some of that extensive collection, and learned some valuable lessons in vexillology.  Note: Gerry also has a children's book in the works.

Due to the efforts of member Charles Spain, legislation is pending in the U.S. Congress to add Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday to the list of holidays specified by the U.S. Flag Code as suitable for flying the Stars and Stripes.  Dr. King's birthday is currently the only U.S. federal holiday not mentioned in the Flag Code.   Note: The United States Flag Code was amended effective October 25, 1999. Although the Senate companion bill eventually was the one enacted into law, this legislation began in the House of Representatives as bills (H.R. and 349 and 526) I worked on with Congressman Ken Bentsen (D-Tex.).   Charles Spain

NAVA Secretary Truman Pope flies four flags from poles on his property.  Tru is a "friend of Old Glory," but he also displays other flags from his 45-flag collection.  He often tries to fly the flags of other countries on their particular flag holidays.  Tru says studying flags "gives an insight into other countries and other cultures."