NAVA 56

NAVA 56: St. Augustine, Florida

Flagler College

June 17–19, 2022

NAVA 56 marked the first hybrid annual meeting for NAVA, combining in-person attendance with streaming observers and presenters.
FIAV’s president, Željko Heimer, beamed in with a welcome from Zagreb, Croatia, to help open NAVA 56.

For details, videos, and additional photos from NAVA 56:
NAVA 56 Program
NAVA 56 Printable Schedule
NAVA 56 Photo Gallery
NAVA 56 Presentations on YouTube

The NAVA 56 Flag:  A golden field represents Florida, the ‘Sunshine State’.  The half-Burgundy cross represents the importance of the Spanish Empire to St. Augustine’s founding and history.  Above it is a stylized outline of the Castillo de San Marcos, an important historical site and symbol of the city.  The blue bars at the bottom represent the Matanzas Bay on which St. Augustine sits, and the ocean beyond.  The designer was Matthew Thomas of the United Kingdom.  Opened up to the /r/vexillology subreddit, this was the largest flag design contest for a NAVA meeting ever.  66 designers submitted 137 designs.

Organizing Committee:  Amber D. V. Atteberry (chair), Peter Ansoff, Stan Contrades, Richard Leibson, Ted Kaye, and Vern León.

The George Henry Preble Lecture

For the first time, two lecturers shared the podium, explaining local flag history to NAVA 56 participants and members of the public in the historic Markland House.

Charles Tingley, Senior Research Librarian at St. Augustine Historical Society, presented “St. Augustine Flags Throughout the Ages”.

Alison Simpson, Command Historian for the Florida National Guard, presented “Florida’s First Muster, and the Controversy and Conservation of Florida Flags”.

Vexibits Presentations:

Vexi-Bits, short “show-and-tell” flag-related stories and displays of flags of interest, were presented by several NAVA members and moderated by long-time NAVA member Bill Trinkle after a group dinner at Columbia Restaurant.

The Tour

On Sunday morning, participants toured the historic Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.  Built between 1672 and 1695 by the Spanish in St. Augustine to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route, the Castillo preserves the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States.  The NAVA 56 flag proudly flew overhead.

Whitney Smith Dinner

The Saturday evening banquet took place in the beautiful Solarium atop the main building of Flagler College, the former Ponce de Leon Hotel.  Roger Smith, professor of American history at Flagler College, gave a talk on national and state flags in the South.  Jack Jowe offered a toast to absent friends, while Bill Trinkle toasted NAVA.

Fiscal Sponsors:

President’s Reception & Flags: CRW Flags

Preble Lecture: Jeff R. Bridgman American Antiques

Driver Award: Bear Flag Museum, CRW Flags, The Flag Guys®, Herold Flags, Jeff R. Bridgman American Antiques, smALLFLAGs

Sponsors:  Paul D Alexander, Patrick Barritt, Paul Bassinson, Tom Edwards, Arthur W Etchells III, William Gifford, Damian Greenwood, Zachary K Harden, Melissa Heeke, Anna G Jankowski, Charles L Kissel, Shawn Guerrero Knoche, Pete Loeser, Melvin J Mason, Gregory S Matson, Daniel McCloskey, Timothy McCloskey, Dipesh Navsaria, Annie Platoff, Gary Randall, Sophie Rault, Andrew Richardson, Timothy Schoonover, Blaine Shaffer, Clyde Simpson, Collin Simpson, Christopher L Sweet, Steve Wheatley, Alex Zimmerman

Attendees:

On-Site (53)

* companion

Streaming (37)

* companion