St. Louis Flag Approved 50 Years Ago Today

In less than two weeks St. Louis will celebrate its 250th birthday, but 50 years ago today the city officially adopted a new flag design, replacing a 48 year old design from 1916:

The design submitted by Professor Emeritus Theodore Sizer, Pursuivant of Arms at Yale University, and now on file in the office of the City register is approved, adopted and designated as the official flag of the City. The flag with a solid red background has two broad heraldic wavy bars, colored blue and white, extending from the left top and bottom corners toward left center where they join and continue as one to the center right edge. This symbolizes the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Over the point of confluence a round golden disk upon which is the fleur-de-lis of France (blue) calling attention to the French background of the early city and more particularly to St. Louis of France for whom the City is named. The golden disk represents the City and/or the Louisiana Purchase. (Heraldically, the disk is a “bezant” or Byzantine coin signifying, money or simply purchase.)

The flag’s colors recall those of Spain (red and yellow or gold), Bourbon France (white and gold), Napoleonic and Republican France (blue, white and red), and the United States of America (red, white, and blue). (St. Louis City Revised Code Chapter 1.20 Official Flag)

As far as I know, the design is universally loved. For more on prior St. Louis flags see my post from four years ago.

The flag is so beautiful we have one hanging in our loft.  The flag’s designer died three years later in 1967 at approximately 75 years old (Find-A-Grave). So happy 50th to our city flag and happy 250th to our city!

— Steve Patterson

Readers: Either February 14th or 15th is OK For St. Louis’ Birthday

The poll last week on St. Louis’ birthday was a dud, not getting many responses:

Q: Do you think St. Louis was founded on February 14th or 15th on 1764?
1. Either is OK 30 [45.45%]
2. 15th 15 [22.73%]
3. 14th 10 [15.15%]
4. Unsure/no opinion 7 [10.61%]
5. Other: 4 [6.06%]

Here are the “other” responses submitted:

1. Don’t care
2. founded in 1904 and downhill ever since
3. who cares
4. Show us a copy of the manuscript so that we can make an intelligent guess!

I’ll try to get a copy of the original document so we can see if we think the date was the 14th or 15th.

— Steve Patterson

St. Louis Question: Answer Depend On If You Attended High School Here

The results from last week’s poll was interesting to me. The question asked is below with the answers presented in order from highest to lowest responses:

Q: The St. Louis Question: “Where did you go to school?” is?

1. Just an ice breaker (I went to high school here) 40 [26.49%]
2. Highly parochial (I went to high school here) 24 [15.89%]
3. Annoying (I didn’t go to high school here) 22 [14.57%]
4. Annoying (I went to high school here) 16 [10.6%]
5. Other: 15 [9.93%]
6. Just an ice breaker (I didn’t go to high school here) 13 [8.61%]
7. Highly parochial (I didn’t go to high school here) 11 [7.28%]
8. Great question (I did go to high school here) 10 [6.62%]
9. Great question (I didn’t go to high school here) 0 [0%]

But it’s hard to draw any conclusions from the above as presented. Of the 151 responses, 136 answered with one of the predefined answers and the other 15 provided their own answer. I took the 136 that used the answers I provided and divided them based on if they went to high school here or not. Two-thirds of these did go to high school here, one third didn’t.

What we can see from the two pie charts is those of us that didn’t go to high school here (right) have very different thoughts on the question, with seventy-two percent of us selecting one of the two negative answers (annoying & highly parochial).  Conversely, fifty-five percent of those that did go to high school selected a positive answer (just an ice breaker & great question). No surprise, where you went to high school (here or not) influences your viewpoint.

The 15 “other” answers were:

1. An ingrained part of growing up in STL. I find it annoying, but am unable to b
2. a way to size someone up by class
3. More than highly parochial, it is often a hierarchical query..
4. It is an accepted, right or wrong, way of identifying you socio-economically. 
5. Lived here 2 and half years, never heard it.
6. used to discriminate and continue prejudice – another reason outsiders move away
7. a salute to St. Louis 
8. It’s part of the St. Louis culture – enjoy it, it makes you unique!
9. a way to pigeonhole people by class. (I didn’t go to high school here). 
10. Amusing. Especially from the perspective of one who was raised in the Metro-East 
11. Who the hell cares? I’m in grad school! 
12. An annoying question asked by dullards who have nothing more interesting to say 
13. Symptomatic of a insular, backwards, anti-progressive community. 
14. county – e, n w or south city east of grand west of grand TIRED TIRED TIRED 
15. not an issue…..not worth discussing…..people make too much of the question

Among the above you get a full range of views.

The city and region needs more people to grow and prosper economically and those from the region aren’t pro-creating fast enough, too many Catholics using contraception.The region must attract more people from outside while not pushing away those raised here or attended college here. Last week the RFT had an article and brilliant flow chart on this topic.

– Steve Patterson

GOOD IdeasForCities in St. Louis — Creative Teams Deadline Tomorrow

GOOD Magazine is bringing their IdeasForCities event to St. Louis on Thursday March 8th but the team registration deadline is tomorrow:

GOOD Ideas for Cities is coming to St. Louis! Apply here to be chosen as a creative team for the event. Selected teams will be paired with a challenge issued by a local urban leader, and work with that leader to create a potential solution. The teams will present their solution at the event in front of a live audience, engage in a discussion with their urban leader and GOOD Ideas for Cities editor Alissa Walker, and have their work showcased on GOOD.is

Answers to questions you may have:

•  A team can consist of as many people as you want, but only one or two people can present at the event
• All team members must live and work in the St. Louis metropolitan area
• Team members can work at different firms, or all at the same firm
• You must be able to be at the event Thursday, March 8 in order to participate
• We will contact selected teams shortly after the deadline
• Deadline is January 6, more details here http://www.good.is/post/good-ideas-for-cities-is-coming-to-portland-and-st-louis/

One reason St. Louis was selected this year, along with Portland OR, is editor Alissa Walker grew up in St. Louis.

St. Louisans groan when local, creative 20-somethings take their talents elsewhere. But the fact that 1995 Parkway West grad Alissa Walker moved to Los Angeles may be a boost for our town. (St. Louis Beacon — article highly recommended!) 

I look forward to seeing teams tackle their assigned challenge. UrbanReviewSTL, along with numerous other media outlets in St. Louis, is serving as a media partner for this event.

– Steve Patterson

Redd Foxx, B.B. King and LaWanda Page

When I pass through the Delmar Loop I can’t help but read the names on the St. Louis Walk of Fame, often stopping to take a pic.  Last October I snapped the above image of Redd Foxx‘s star.  As a kid Sanford and Son was a favorite show.  Foxx was born John Elroy Sanford in St. Louis in 1922, but raised on Chicago’s south side.

Foxx’s TV character Fred Sanford was also from St. Louis, but living in Los Angeles. In an episode called “Fred Sings the Blues” Sanford meets B.B. King and learns he sings the blues because a man stole his ‘E.W’ in St. Louis.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu6JaxobP-g

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTMNKrdwfGE

Sanford thinks King is referring to his late wife Elizabeth Winfield Sanford, turns out it was her sister, Esther Winfield Anderson, played by the great LaWanda Page (1920-2002).  Page was born in Cleveland but raised in St. Louis. We need to get her a star…

Have a great weekend.

– Steve Patterson