Alaska’s state flag is heavenly

Benny Benson is an Alaskan hero. An essay published by the Alaskan Historical Society (AHS) tells the story. 

In 1927, Alaska’s territorial governor George Parks decided the path toward U.S. statehood required Alaska to have its own flag. “He persuaded the American Legion organization in Alaska to hold a contest, open to all of the state’s school children in grades 7-12, to design Alaska’s new flag,” the AHS noted.

 

“Benny Benson’s roots came from all over the world. He was born in Chignik, a small fishing village on the south shore of the Alaska Peninsula. His father was a Swedish fisherman and his mother was an Aleut-Russian.” 

Benny was only 3 when his mother died from pneumonia. Then, a fire burned down the Benson home. The father was unable to cope, and his three children were disbursed to orphanages. 

Benny was a 13-year-old in the seventh grade in Seward when he entered his design in the Alaskan flag contest. “He created a scene familiar to every Alaska child who gazes skyward – the seven stars of the Big Dipper and the guiding light of the North Star,” the AHS said.

 

Benny explained that he chose the familiar asterism that he looked for every night before going to sleep at the orphanage. He told the judges: 

“The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaskan flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly in the union. The Dipper is for the Great Bear –symbolizing strength.” 

The flag’s stars are gold and the North Star (Polaris) is slightly larger in size. 

When Alaska became the 49th U.S. state on Jan. 3, 1959, Benny’s flag “graduated” to become Alaska’s state flag. 

Benny’s $1,000 cash award enabled him to go to college and study diesel engine repair. He ultimately became an airline mechanic for Kodiak Airways. 

Benny Benson suffered a heart attack and died in 1972. He was 58. 

His legacy in Alaska is assured. Named after him are a prominent mountain and monument near Seward, the airport in Kodiak and a thoroughfare and alternative high school in Anchorage.

 

Ohio’s flag has a unique shape

The Ohio state flag is distinctive because of its odd shape, resembling a pennant with a swallow-tailed design. The correct name for it is “burgee,” a shape that originally was used for flags of sailing ships and yachts.

 

Ohio’s burgee was designed by noted Cleveland architect John Eisenmann for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, N.Y. 

William S. McKinnon, Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, liked the flag so much, he persuaded the state legislature to adopt Eisenmann’s flag as Ohio’s official state flag in 1902.

The flag is an interesting combination of red, white and blue. It has three red stripes and two white stripes extending to the fly side of the flag from a blue triangular canton (union) on the hoist side. 

Within the triangle is a large red circle with a white border around it. This element is surrounded by 17 white stars. They symbolize the original 13 states as well as the next four – Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio. 

How do you fold a burgee?

 

Alex Weinstock, who was an Eagle Scout from the small town of Somerset, in Perry County, Ohio, figured it out in 2004. It requires two people and 17 folds (Ohio was the 17th state) for the flag to be reduced into a small rectangle.