Teen’s 50-star flag earned him B-, a place in history

WASHINGTON – Johnny Carson called him the modern-day Betsy Ross, but Robert G. Heft – call him Bob – never cared for that title.

Say he’s a teacher, both in and out of the classroom, and keep in mind that you’ve seen his work daily for the past 46 years.

As a 16-year-old high school student in Lancaster, Ohio, he rearranged the stars into the 50-star U.S. flag that became official on July 4, 1960, after Hawaii had attained its statehood.

Some 2,000 members of the Daughters of the American Revolution – who gave Heft a DAR Medal of Honor on Saturday for his contribution to patriotism – were mesmerized when he stood on the stage of Constitution Hall in Washington to share his story.

Assigned to do a project for American history class in the spring of 1958, Heft dismantled a 48-star flag, carefully clipping the threads. He cut out some blue broadcloth for a new field and attached it to the stripes.

“I Scotch-taped that flag together,” Heft recalled. He laid out 50 stars and fastened them in the now familiar alternating rows of six stars, then five stars.

The 48-star flag had been in use since New Mexico and Arizona became states in 1912.

Now, in 1958 there certainly were new designs in the works for the day when the U.S. would have 49 stars – a period which lasted one year from July 4, 1959, to 1960.

But the high school student was convinced that soon we’d need 50 stars.

His mother wasn’t impressed with his creation, and it turns out his teacher didn’t like it much, either.

“I got a B-minus,” Heft recalled. Though he wasn’t in the habit of speaking up at such times, the shy student went for it and said he didn’t think the grade was fair.

“He told me, ‘If you don’t like the grade, get [the flag] changed in Washington and I’ll consider changing the grade,'” Heft said.

His mother’s response to his rank? “That’s more than I would have given you.”

Heft’s congressman, it turned out, lived in the same city, so the young man took the flag to his home, explained his position and left his history project with him, knowing he’d at least made his case for the design.

Two years later, Heft graduated from high school and had been working as a draftsman for less than two weeks when the White House called him – at work – and told him to expect a phone call from President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

“Literally, my legs were like Hershey bars,” Heft said.

When the call came, and it was indeed the president, he had an answer ready when Eisenhower asked if he were Robert Heft.

“Yessir, but you can call me Bob,” came the reply. As for whether he could come to Washington for a few days, well, he’d have to check with his boss first.

Less than a month later, Heft made the first of 14 visits over the years to the White House.

Since then, the Michigan resident has taught thousands of students, given countless speeches and presentations, and received numerous awards.

His grade? Yes, he did get it changed to an “A.”

And for 46 years, his flag – his vision of the Stars and Stripes – has been our flag.

Weekly editor Roxanne Moore Saucier is a member of the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution.