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NAVA 46

NAVA 46 Flag Image

NAVA 46 Flag Photo

NAVA 46: Columbus, Ohio
Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel
October 5–7, 2012

Details and additional photos of NAVA 46 The NAVA 46 Flag:  The design by William M. Belanich, Jr., of Hamilton, Ohio, reflects the location of the 2012 annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio.  The white arc which separates blue from red is taken from the state flag of Ohio on which a red disc is surrounded by a white letter "O", all resting on a triangular blue field.  The arc forms the letter "C" representing the host city of Columbus.  The colors of the flag are those of the flags of the Association, Ohio, and the United States of America.

Meeting flag description from Flag Research Quarterly 11: The Flags of NAVA

Organizing Committee: William M. Belanich, Jr., David S. Breitenbach, and Peter Kinderman

Significant Event

The John Purcell Award was added to the Association’s awards and honors program at NAVA 46.  Before the NAVA 46’s formal opening, NAVA’s president Hugh Brady hosted a memorial event at the nearby Athletic Club of Columbus for the late John Purcell.  At this special memorial gathering John's sister and brother received the first John Purcell Award named in his honor.  Several NAVA members spoke with warm memories of John, who generously left much of his flag collection to NAVA to be shared at the meeting.

The Featured Tour

The featured tour was a visit the collection of Civil War flags at the Ohio Historical Society.  It was led by Cliff Eckle, the longtime museum curator, who showed a display of ten conserved Ohio regimental flags from the Civil War.  He then opened a storage cabinet with even more vexillological treasures, not yet conserved, and answered questions.

The Presentations

  • “A Mole Hill of Summary”: Evaluating Graphic Representations of Revolutionary War-Era American Flags — Peter A. Ansoff, Virginia.
  • Vexillology on the World Stage — David Breitenbach, Illinois.
  • A Look at Traditional Chinese Flags across Eighteen Centuries — Fei Xing Ph.D., China.
  • Reciting the Pledge for the First Time in Utah — John M. Hartvigsen, Utah.
  • Pragmatic Unity and Visual Synecdoche in Tennessee Flag Culture — Steven A. Knowlton M.L.I.S, Tennessee.
  • The Truth in Our Stars:The Symbolism Behind Their Use in Flags — Amy Langston, North Carolina.
  • Tapestries of Colored Lights — Terri Maglieri, Massachusetts.
  • Wayne’s World (of Flags) — David B. Martucci, Maine.
  • Of Tablecloths and Soviet Relics: A Study of the Banner of Victory (Znamia Pobedy) — Anne M. Platoff M.A., M.S., California.
  • “A Symbol of Our Place in the World”: The Raising of the National Flag on Canadian Warships, 15 February 1965 — Ken Reynolds Ph.D., Ontario.
  • Colors of the Confederacy: Consecration and Controversy — Catherine Wright M.A., Virginia.

Announced Awards and Honors

  • Captain William Driver Award: Steven A. Knowlton M.L.I.S.
  • John Purcell Award: John M. Purcell Ph.D. (posthumously)
  • Presidential Citation: Great Waters Association of Vexillology

The Annual Business Meeting

The NAVA executive board presides over the meeting on Sunday morning, backed by the officers' flags.

Fiscal Sponsors:

Driver Award: Ace Banner & Flag, Advertising Flag Co., Bear Flag Museum, CRW Flags, Dixie Flag Mfg. Co., The Flag Guys, The Flag Shop (BC), Herold Flags, Jeff R. Bridgman American Antiques, Preservation Designs, Six-Sided Simulations, TME Co.

Attendees (45)
Peter Ansoff Steve Knowlton Annie Platoff Kin Spain
William Belanich, Jr. Amy Langston Michael Platoff* Mary Ann Docktor-Smith*
Hugh Brady Jack Lowe Pat Pyles Gwen Spicer
David Breitenbach David Martucci Lowell Pyles Gus Tracchia
Christopher Bedwell Janet Martucci Gary Randall Gil Vegas
Al Cavalari Christopher Maddish Ken Reynolds Adrian Wagner
Xing Fei Rich Monahan James Ritchie David Wagner
Scot Guenter Barbara Moeller* Sharon Ritchie Su Wang
John Hartvigsen Henry Moeller Mark Ritzenhein Cathy Wright
Kevin Harrington Stan Mottaz Collin Simpson
Ted Kaye Kevin Murray Clyde Simpson
Peter Kinderman David Ott Randy Smith
* companion
Flag image drawn by Clay Moss – Flag photo from Flag Research Quarterly 11: The Flags of NAVA