Flag Day - The 49 Star Flag Story (1959)

There won’t be too many people left in a few more decades who will remember the last time we added a star; or two; to our flag. So, I try to drag this story out as often as I can.

Today is Flag Day, which always prompts me to recall a day toward the end of kindergarten when my teacher, Mrs. Gerber, unveiled a new flag in our classroom. We had been saluting the 48 star flag, even though Alaska had entered the Union as the 49th state on January 3rd, 1959. Here it was June and we still had the old 48 star flag hanging at the front of the classroom in Public School 197 in Brooklyn.

With all appropriate drama, Mrs. Gerber unrolled the new 50 star flag as she carefully explained that yet another state, Hawaii, would be joining the Union in August. This would be just before we returned to school. Since the City did not have the funds to replace the flags twice in one year, they had opted to wait until the next state was added to make that change. We were getting a preview of the 50 star flag that would become our new National Symbol in August.

It wasn't until a few years later, while collecting stamps, that I actually saw a 49 star flag. The placement of the stars on the field of blue is somewhat of an art. It must be done in uniform rows to look right. The current 50 star flag relies on a pattern of two rows; 5 stars and 4 stars respectively, repeated 5 times and then the last row of 5 to make 50 stars. Very symmetrical.

The 49 star flag, which is seldom seen, has the same alternating pattern, only with 4 stars and 3 stars. The pattern, repeated 7 times, yields the 49 stars that represented the States in the Union at the time. The first row is 4 stars and by necessity, the last row is only 3 stars.

Flag Day was actually celebrated in the schools back then. Times have changed but history remains the same. So for those who have never seen it, here is the 49 star flag that reigned for a scant 8 months back in 1959.

The Frozen Ground" with John Cusak and Nicolas Cage (2013)

Alaskan State Trooper Jack Halcombe, played by Nicolas Cage, realizes that something is drastically wrong when the department does nothing to investigate a series of murders which he considers related. All of the murders were of young women, mostly prostitutes, who were lured to “photography” sessions with the promise of several hundred dollars.  All were subsequently killed, over a period of years, and left in the frozen grounds outside of Anchorage. All, that is, but one.

Vanessa Hudgens plays the women who escaped, Cindy, only to be judged by the very police who were supposed to protect her. It becomes her word against their professional reputations, with the results being that justice is denied. Now, with the killer, Robert Hansen, played by John Cusak, looking for her; as well as her former pimp; she has nowhere to turn.

Jack Holcombe enters the picture with a sure fired conviction that these cases, although spanning a dozen years and at least 11 victims, are all connected and the result of one man; Robert Hansen. But proving it is difficult unless he can enlist the trust, and testimony of Cindy. She is, of course, reluctant to stick her neck out any further than she already has.

Based on the real life case of Robert Hansen, this film, written and directed by Scott Walker, will rivet you with its stark revelations of what depravity the human mind is capable of. Superb performances by all really seal the deal of this one, and make it a very tense and edgy drama.

Flag Day and the 49 Star Flag - 1959

I remember the day as clearly as if it were yesterday. We were getting a new flag in my Kindergarten class- but there was a twist to it. Alaska was being admitted as a state, to be closely followed in a year, by Hawaii. There had been 48 stars on the flag since about 1912, and now there was set to be 2 changes to the flag in one year’s time. Although the school authorities were very much concerned with the fiscal aspects of the changes, I was more enthralled with the idea that I was living through an historical event.

The schools I went to were the Public Schools in Brooklyn, New York. In my case I was at PS 197 on Kings Highway and East 22^nd Street, when these events occurred. Our teacher, a young boy’s dream named Mrs. Gerber; she wore seamed stockings; explained that buying two flags in one year for each classroom would be too costly for the City to bear. Instead, they were jumping ahead to the following year when Hawaii would be admitted, making 50 states, and 50 stars, on the flag. Seriously, I was a bit miffed at the decision, even at the age of five. Let me explain.

My favorite TV show at the time was “Yukon King”, which starred Preston Foster, who played a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman, and his dog, who pulled his sled. So, I was very excited to hear that we were getting a piece of the action in that part of the country! Hawaii, on the other hand, was just a very faraway place where pineapples came from, for which I had no use. I could not, at the age of five, see the strategic advantage of having Hawaii as a state, thus extending our borders. The events at Pearl Harbor were just a vague concept to me at the time. I knew that something had happened there, but wasn't quite sure what.

Alaska, on the other hand, held an immediate connection for me. It was, as I said earlier, my favorite TV show at the time. So, this is my earliest memory of our flag. I do vaguely recall learning the Pledge of Allegiance, but that was more of an assignment than a personal connection. The flag is human to me; when it flaps in the breeze I am happy. Some may call that imperialistic, or empirical. I just know that I grew up feeling pretty secure under that banner. Though the past few administrations; both Democratic and Republican; have been disappointing to say the least, the flag has remained as a symbol of what we once were, and can be again. 

By the way, if you were looking for some sort of lesson in the above story, sorry to disappoint you. It's just a story about one of my earliest memories of the flag.

Flag Day 1959 - 49 Stars - The Forgotten Flag

June 14, 2009: Today is flag day, which always prompts me to recall a day toward the end of kindergarten when my teacher, Mrs. Gerber, unveiled a new flag in our classroom. We had been saluting the 48 star flag, even though Alaska had entered the Union as the 49th state on January 3rd, 1959. Here it was June and we still had the old 48 star flag hanging at the front of the classroom in Public School 197 in Brooklyn.

With all appropriate drama, Mrs. Gerber unrolled the new 50 star flag as she carefully explained that yet another state, Hawaii, would be joining the Union in August. This would be just before we returned to school. Since the City did not have the funds to replace the flags twice in one year, they had opted to wait until the next state was added to make that change. We were getting a preview of the 50 star flag that would become our new National Symbol in August.

It wasn't until many years later, while collecting stamps, that I actually saw a 49 star flag. The placement of the stars on the field of blue is somewhat of an art. It must be done in uniform rows to look right. The current 50 star flag relies on a pattern of two rows; 5 stars and 4 stars respectively, repeated 5 times and then the last row of 5 to make 50 stars. Very symmetrical.

The 49 star flag, which is seldom seen, has the same alternating pattern, only with 4 stars and 3 stars. The pattern, repeated 7 times, yields the 49 stars that represented the States in the Union at the time. The first row is 4 stars and by necessity, the last row is only 3 stars.

Flag Day was actually celebrated in the schools back then. Times have changed but history remains the same. So for those who have never seen it, here is the 49 star flag that reigned for a scant 8 months back in 1959.