ROADSIDE MICHIGAN: Grave of the Man Who Designed the 50-Star Flag

Did you know the man who designed our 50-star flag is buried in Michigan? Well, actually, he was a teenager when he came up with the design.

Robert Heft was a high school student in 1958 when he was part of a school project to come up with new designs for our nation's flag. Alaska and Hawaii were slated to become our next 2 states and in anticipation, there were many different designs that were designed and submitted.

Bob's design garnered him a B-minus from his teacher...but then, President Eisenhower chose Bob's design out of all the entries to be our official national flag. Eating crow and with tail-between-legs, the teacher sheepishly changed Bob's mark to an "A". It became our official flag on July 4, 1960.

Today, you can visit the grave of Robert Heft at Holy Cross Lutheran Cemetery, 4700 Brockway Street in Saginaw. His tombstone, shaped and colored like our flag, can easily be found near the south entrance with the engraving, "Designer of America's 50-Star Flag."

It's an historical, quirky little stop to make on your next Michigan roadtrip!

Bob passed away in 2009 at age 67.