Rowan Vocational Opportunities, Inc. recently held a flag-raising ceremony, as they are preparing to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the agency’s founding. The flag, which previously flew over the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C., was supplied by the office of the United States senator from North Carolina, Thom Tillis, who plans to retire after his current term expires.
The flag raising was attended by RVO/CVO Board Chairperson Dr. Jill Smith; Board member Mrs. Jennifer Ridgell; retired Navy Chief Warrant Officer 4 Edward Lanear; retired Rowan County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Brian Rucker; Gary Elmore, Cabarrus Vocational Opportunities director of operations and Human Resources Director Tammy Lemmons.
Norman H., the consumer flag attendant, was smiling from ear-to-ear as he joined Lanear and Rucker in raising the flag.
The tradition of allowing the public to receive these flags began in 1937 when a member of Congress requested a flag that had previously flown over the Capitol Building. No other flag is allowed to fly over the Capitol Dome. Other flags are occasionally flown on the Capitol grounds but not over the Dome.
This practice quickly gained popularity amongst constituents leading the Architect of the Capitol to officially formalize the process to manage the growing number of requests for these commemorative flags. The Architect of the Capitol and their staff fulfill over 100,000 requests from United States Senators and members of the House of Representatives each year.
Flags are flown daily year-round, weather permitting, excluding Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. There is also a certificate of authenticity which verifies its originality.
Beginning with the 13-star flag representing the 13 original colonies to today’s 50-star flag which was adopted when Hawaii officially became a state in 1960; from 1777 onward, each time a new state was admitted officially to the Union a star was added and began flying on the next Fourth of July.
RVO/CVO Executive Director, Gary Yelton, explained the rationale for the 13 stripes representing the original 13 colonies, as well as the meaning of the stars representing each state and the colors red, white and blue. Red represents valor and bravery, white represents purity and innocence and blue represents vigilance and perseverance.
An official announcement of RVO’s 60th anniversary celebration will be forthcoming in the near future.
Wilson R. Cherry is the director of community affairs for Rowan Vocational Opportunities, Inc.
