Flag ceremony salutes 102-year-old veteran
If Storage 105 owner Jack McClanahan could have found a bigger American flag he would have.
The 100-pound, 30-foottall, 60-foot-long American flag on a 120-foot pole was the largest one he could get to show his support of Montgomery County veterans.
Since 2009, a series of American flags have flown over Storage 105 as a beacon of patriotism to all those traveling along Texas 105. Storage 105 has also been a popular gathering spot for veterans following the end of the Lone Star Honor Flight program that brought 515 local World War II veterans to Washington, D.C.
“The 30 by 60 flag was the biggest standard flag we could get that will last six months. If we had gone any bigger than that, it wouldn’t even last six months,” he said. “If you notice the flag gets shorter and shorter during the six-month time as it’s sewed up and mended.”
Because of the exposure to the outdoors, the flags are changed out every six months in May and November.
“There’s something about that flag that when I’m coming back from being out of town, no matter if it’s from the east or the west, when I see that flag, there’s always a flutter for me and it’ll always be that way,” McClanahan said. “Interesting fact, more people call the Storage 105 phone number in reference to the flag than they do about storage needs.”
With the flag rotation also comes a flag dedication. On Nov. 17, a new American flag unfurled in recognition of 102-year-old Magnolia resident Celeste Graves.
Celeste Gayle Graves was born on Aug. 30, 1919, in Magnolia at home, the only daughter of William Julius Gayle and Emilie Baudat Gayle. Graves’ father was the depot agent at Magnolia starting in 1912 and he was in that position for 30-plus years.
From 1942-44, Graves worked for Aviation Enterprises Inc. at Municipal Airport (now Hobby Airport).
She was a secretary and dispatcher for the company that trained pilots for the war.
In the “doghouse” she kept the flight log and records for the training pilots. Then the same group got the contract to train female pilots which became a part of the Women Air Service Pilots program.
“I really got to respect them. They had to pay their own way and room and board. It was hard on them. They had to have at least 200 hours of flying time, which was more than the instructors had,” Graves said in a previous Courier article. “The only clothes they got were the hand-me-downs from Ellington Field.”
In recent years she wrote the book “A View from the Doghouse,” which told the experiences of these female pilots.
“This first group of women didn’t get much attention so I wrote this book,” Graves said. A new Remembered Whispers WASP memorial at the Montgomery County Veteran’s Memorial Park recognizes their contributions to World War II as well.
McClanahan said most of the flag dedications are to WWII veterans. In May, the flag was dedicated to 102year-old Lewis Shannon, a World War II veteran.
“Her work that she did back in 1942-44 makes (Graves) as much military as anybody else,” he said.
Graves was accompanied by her daughter, Tarvah McGinty and signed copies of her book “A View from the Doghouse.” Graves is known around the county for her contributions to history, especially the history of Magnolia. She also worked for the Magnolia ISD school district for many years and in November 2006, the Celeste G. Graves Education Support Center was named in her honor. In 1993, she published “Magnolia Memories” and was instrumental in bringing the Magnolia Depot back to life.
McClanahan continues to salute veterans in a number of ways.
In addition to the flag at Storage 105, he also offers a space for veterans to gather every Wednesday morning at 9 at the Poplar Business Park off Old Highway 105.