NAVA 52

• Vexillum No. 14 (June 2021)
• NAVA 52 Program
• NAVA 52 Photo Gallery

The year 2018 marked the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Fleurdelysé flag by the government of Québec, the 30th anniversary of the grant of a city flag and city arms to Québec City by the Canadian Heraldic Authority (designed in 1987), and the 20th anniversary of NAVA’s first meeting in Québec City (NAVA 32).

Organizing Committee:  Luc Baronian (chair), Peter Ansoff, Amber Atteberry, Jim Ferrigan, Ted Kaye.

• NAVA 52 was held in the St. Roch district of Québec City.  Old Québec City is North America's last walled city.  It is perched on the north shore of a major narrowing of the St. Lawrence River—its name, in fact, means a "strait" in Algonquian.  It is home to the famous 1759 Plains of Abraham battlefield of the Seven Years’ War (the French and Indian War).
• The city flag's dominant symbol is Samuel de Champlain's vessel, the Don de Dieu.  The golden vessel can be seen all over the city.

The George Henry Preble Lecture

The two-part Preble Lecture was given by Pierre Gendreau-Hétu, speaking on "Synchronicity in Vexillology, or Could the Fleurdelisé Have Somehow Played into Georgia's Second Change of Flags?" and "Folk Heraldry in the Time of the Motor Vehicle: Québec, Car Plates, and Identity".

Whitney Smith Dinner

The Parliament of Québec was the site of this year's Whitney Smith Dinner, featuring the keynote lecture “Preparing for the G7” given by Carmen Barcena, Head of Ceremonial and Protocol Services for the government of Canada.

The Tour

On Saturday afternoon, NAVA 52 participants toured the star-shaped Citadel (Citadelle de Québec) an active military installation and the secondary official residence of both the Canadian monarch and the Governor General of Canada.  Nicknamed the "Gibraltar of America", the Citadel was built between 1820 and 1850 and is the largest British fortress in North America.  It is located atop Cape Diamond (Cap Diamant), the highest natural point in the area, adjoining the historic Plains of Abraham.

The tour stopped at historic structures like the Cap Diamant Redoubt (1693), the East Casemate (1831), and the military prison (1842).  Participants also visited the new Musée Royal 22e Régiment, a modern interactive museum located in the historic East Casemate with a special exhibition on the Canadian Forces' sole French-language regular force infantry regiment—from 1914 to the missions in Afghanistan.

• Flags in the Classroom – Tyler Amick, Minnesota.
• Floral Elements in Modern Local Flags in China – Xing Fei, China.
• When Pigs Fly - Kevin Harrington, Ontario.
• Small Wonder: The Camp Color of the Royal Highland Emigrants – Matthew Keagle & Gwen Spicer, New York.
• The Vexillological Frontier: Non-Flagged Geographical Areas and Birthright Flags for Canada – Christopher Maddish, Pennsylvania.
• The Sixteen-Star Flag: Strawman of the Rebellion – David B. Martucci, Maine.
• What is cartographic vexillology?: Understanding the use of maps in flags – Carlos A. Morales-Ramirez, Pennsylvania.
• James Connolly’s Green Flag of Ireland – Rachel Phelan, Ireland.
• Soyuz and Symbolic Union: Representations of Unity in Soviet Symbolism – Anne M. Platoff, California.
• National and Provincial/Territorial Symbols in Municipal Flags in Canada: Patriotism at the Community Level? – Rob Raeside, Nova Scotia.
• Captured! Flags and Risk Management in the Corporate Environment: War Stories from the Digital World – Greg Slayden, Washington.
• Plans for next year's NAVA 53 / ICV 28 in San Antonio, Texas – Charles Spain, Texas.

Announced Awards and Honors

• Captain William Driver Award: Rachel Phelan – James Connolly’s Green Flag of Ireland.

Fiscal Sponsors:

• President's Reception: CRW Flags
• Preble Lecture: Portland Flag Association
• Driver Award: Bear Flag Museum, CRW Flags, Elmer's Flag & Banner, The Flag Guys, Jeff R. Bridgman Antiques, Herold Flags, and smALLFLAGs.com.

Flag image by Zacary Edward Wilson-Fetrow; photo by Ted Kaye