Robert G. Heft

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Heft" redirects here. For HEFT, see Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike.

Robert G. (Bob) Heft (born in Saginaw, Michigan) is the designer of the 50-star flag, and one of the proposed designs for a 51-star flag for the United States of America. He spent his childhood in Lancaster, Ohio, where he created the flag as a school project.

He designed the current U.S. flag in 1958 while living with his grandparents. He was 17 years old at the time and did the flag design as a class project. He unstitched the blue field from a family 48-star flag, sewed in a new field, and used iron-on white fabric to add 100 hand-cut stars, 50 on each side of the blue canton. (Leepson, p.245)

He originally received a "B-" for the project. After discussing the grade with his high school teacher, Stanley Pratt, it was agreed that if the flag was accepted by Congress, the grade would be reconsidered. Heft's flag design was chosen and adopted by presidential proclamation after Alaska and before Hawaii was admitted into the union in 1959. According to Heft, his teacher did keep to their agreement and changed his grade to an "A" for the project.

Heft has also stated he has copyrighted designs for a 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, and 60 star American flag.