Legion members retire flags
GRAVETTE — Members of John E. Tracy American Legion Post 25 in Gravette held their annual flag retirement ceremony on Flag Day, Tuesday, June 14. Post officers Dave Malczynski, commander; William Crose, first vice-commander; Mark Russow, second vice-commander; Al Blair, finance officer; and Rose Crose, chaplain, all participated in the brief ceremony on the grounds of the Gravette Civic Center. Mike Carnahan, post adjutant, was unable to attend.
Following the ceremony and a prayer by chaplain Crose, Dave Malczynski and Al Blair carried each flag to the burn barrel to be retired. Mark Russow helped with preparing the flags for retirement.
After the ceremony, members and their families enjoyed a picnic meal of cold-cut sandwiches, baked beans, potato salad, maca- roni salad, chips, cookies, cake and drinks.
Flag Day has a long history. On June 14, 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned ceremonies celebrating the flag for the children of his school and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York. On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration; and on June 14 the following year, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution celebrated Flag Day.
On April 24, 1893, the Pennsylvania Society of the Colonial Dames of America adopted a resolution requesting the mayor of Philadelphia, all others in authority and all private citizens to display the flag on June 14. Two weeks later, on May 8, the Board of Managers of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution unanimously endorsed the action of the Pennsylvania Society of the Colonial Dames and Edward Brooks, Philadelphia public schools superintendent, directed that Flag Day exercises be held in Independence Square.
In 1894, the governor of New York directed that the flag be displayed on all public buildings on June 14. An Illinois organization, known as the American Flag Day Association, was organized for the purpose of promoting the holding of Flag Day exercises. On June 14, 1894, the first general public school children’s celebration of Flag Day in Chicago was held with more than 300,000 children participating.
Inspired by these decades of state and local Flag Day celebrations, Flag Day was officially established by the proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson’s proclamation, it was not until Aug. 3, 1949, that President Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 of each year as National Flag Day.