At the time of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776, there were no flags with any stars on them. The 13 Star Flag became the first official US Flag; it was adopted though an act of Congress on June 14, 1777.
Since 1818, a star for each new state has been added to the flag on the 4th of July the year immediately following each state’s admission. The blue background on the top left, where the stars are placed, represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice; the red stripes symbolize valor whereas the white means purity and innocence.
in the 1950s, it was assumed Alaska would be admitted to the Union; President Eisenhower signed the official proclamation on January 3, 1959. Upon learning this, designers began retooling the American flag to add a 49th star to the existing 48. Many expected that Hawai‘i would be added as the 50th state and 1953 was the earliest submission of a 50-star flag design.
The current design of the U.S. flag is its 27th. It was designed by Robert (Bob) Galen Heft. In the spring of 1958 while a 17-year-old junior at Lancaster High School, Ohio. Heft and his fellow classmates were given an assignment by US History teacher Stanley Pratt to prepare a history project of choice and report on it in class.
Heft was born on January 19, 1942, in Saginaw, Michigan to Maynard G. Heft and Viola C. Weaver; his parents separated when he was about one and Heft was raised by his grandparents Sheldon and Gladys Schromme in Lancaster (he referred to them as his parents). (Yuma Sun, Jun 14, 1995)
Heft had an interest in the Betsy Ross story and learned respect for the flag through his service in Boy Scouts. A flag project – an honorable and innocent task by most standards – seemed to be a natural choice for him. The idea of making a flag came to Heft at the time after seeing the flag flying at city hall. (Wakeman Funeral Home)
“I’d watch my mom sew, but I had never sewn … and since making the flag of our country, I’ve never sewn again,” said Heft. (West Point AOG)
Heft cut into the family flag with scissors, and with an additional $2.87 of new cloth and iron-on material he purchased from Wiseman’s Department Store, he then spent 12-½ hours over the course of the entire weekend at the family’s dining table constructing a new 50-star version of ‘Old Glory’ using a pattern of five rows of six stars with four alternating rows of five stars.
Pratt asked him, “What’s this on my desk?” Heft replied that it was a flag. Pratt pointed out to Heft that he had too many stars on the flag. “You don’t even know how many states we have,” Heft recollected Pratt’s response.
Pratt gave the young flag designer a grade of B-minus. Despite receiving a ‘decent grade,’ as Heft would later describe in speeches, he remained upset as he felt his grade did not match the effort he put into it – considering Tim and his level of effort.
Pratt then presented young Bob with a challenge to have his flag submitted to Congress and if they accept his 50-star flag design he would consider changing the grade. (Wakeman Funeral Home)
Ultimately, Executive Order 10834 notes, “Section 1. The flag of the United States shall have thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white, and a union consisting of white stars on a field of blue.”
“Sec. 2. The positions of the stars in the union of the flag and in the union jack shall be as indicated on the attachment to this order, which is hereby made a part of this order. Sec. 3. The dimensions of the constituent parts of the flag shall conform to the proportions set forth in the attachment referred to in section 2 of this order.” (EO 10834, Signed: August 21, 1959 Published: August 25, 1959)
Heft would make contact with the new Congressman of Ohio’s 10th District, Representative Walter H. Moeller, to inform him of his 50-star design. He eventually sent the flag to Representative Moeller with a note that in the event both Alaska and Hawaii become states that the Congressman submit the 50-star design on his behalf.
Over time, Heft would make numerous phone calls to Representative Moeller’s office, as well as 21 letters and 18 phone calls to the White House to check on the status of his flag submission. (Wakeman Funeral Home)
Eventually, Congress approved and the states ratified, Alaska, which officially became a state on January 3, 1959, and was acknowledged on a new 49-star flag at a flag-raising ceremony at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, MD on July 4, 1959.
The 49-star flag, however, would be short-lived – the shortest in U.S. history at only one year. While Hawaii also earned statehood in 1959, it did not occur until later in the year, August 21, after the 49-star flag had already been adopted. (Wakeman Funeral Home)
Following statehood of Hawaiʻi, the new flag of the United States of America (Heft’s design containing a union of 50 stars) flew for the first time at 12:01 am, July 4, 1960, when it was raised at the Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Maryland.
Heft traveled the world extensively telling countless people of his unique story. He retired after 30 years as a high school and college history teacher. He was a seven-term Mayor of Napoleon, Ohio and past state president of the Ohio Mayor’s Association. He died on December 12, 2009 in Saginaw, Michigan at the age of 67. (Wakeman Funeral Home)
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