NPR
Designer of 50-star flag looks back at his high school project
Friday, July 3, 2026
Robert G. Heft designed the 50-star American flag as a high school project in Lancaster, Ohio. His teacher initially gave the assignment a B-minus grade. Heft's design was adopted by President Eisenhower in 1959 after Alaska and Hawaii became states. Heft later became a vexillologist, the study of flags, and has lectured about flag design for decades.
