I’m sure you’ve heard of Betsy Ross, the woman credited with
stitching the first official U.S. flag. (Most historians dismiss her story as
an American myth, but it’s still fun to tell.) But do you know who designed the
flag we fly today? His name was Robert (Bob) G. Heft. In 1959, when Bob was only
seventeen, he designed a 50-star, 13-stripe flag as part of a high school
project. Bob’s teacher gave him a B-. There are unsubstantiated rumors claiming
his grade was changed to an A when Dwight D. Eisenhower selected his design out
of 1,500 choices. Bob also designed a 51-star flag, for use if and when another
state was added to the union. After college, Bob became a high school teacher
and then a college professor. He was mayor of Napoleon, Ohio for 28 years. Bob
lived with diabetes for many years. In 2009, he suffered a heart attack and
died at the age of 67.
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