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Eight stars on a field of blue

The story of the boy who created Alaska's flag.

> Contest with destiny
> Symbol of hope
> From Aleut orphan to ambassador
> Visit Alaska for its 50th anniversary in 2009

John Bell "Benny" Benson didn't have a very auspicious start in life. Born in the tiny Aleutian hamlet of Chignik, Alaska, in 1913, he was only three years old when the family home burned down. Soon after, his Aleut-Russian mother died of pneumonia. With few alternatives, his Swedish fisherman father sent Benny and his brother to the Jesse Lee Home, an orphanage and school in Unalaska. Benny was instructed in the usual school subjects, but as was common at the Jesse Lee Home, he was also taught self-reliance skills such as cooking and sewing. Little did he know that thousands of miles away, fate was determining his destiny.

Contest with destiny

While George Parks, the new territorial governor, was in Washington, D.C., it was pointed out to him that Alaska was the only U.S. territory lacking its own flag. Parks came up with the idea for a territory-wide contest among Alaskan students for the flag's design.

Benny didn't think he had much chance to win, since he was only 13 at the time and competing against much older students. But he did have his own impressions of the place where he grew up: a region virtually barren of trees, but where the sky extended from horizon to horizon, and where bears and wildflowers were numerous.

While other students created elaborate patterns visualizing Alaska's wildlife, mining or marine heritage, Benny kept his flag simple. Along with his entry, he outlined for the judges the personal meaning he placed behind the symbols he chose—eight gold stars on a field of blue.

"The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaskan flower," he wrote. "The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly of the Union. The dipper is for the Great Bear, symbolizing strength."

Benny Benson outside the Jesse Lee Home in Seward, holding his Alaska state flag design.
P01-1921 Alaska State Library Photograph Collection

Symbol of hope

The judges unanimously selected Benny's design from 700 entries from all around the territory, heralding it for its simplicity, originality and symbolism. In exchange for his winning entry, Benny received a gold watch engraved with the flag and $1,000 toward his education.

The prize was awarded in 1927, when times were tough in Alaska and $1,000 was a huge amount of money. Alaska's economy was suffering greatly as the area's wealth was siphoned off by interests in the United States. As a territory with little political clout, Alaska had little recourse to stop the flow. Immediately following the contest, Governor Parks began receiving requests from across the nation for the new flag with the wonderful backstory. This not only helped give Alaska's residents a sorely-needed morale boost, but also increased Alaska's profile to the rest of the world.

With the subsequent election of President Roosevelt and the influx of "New Deal" projects, Alaska finally gained traction to succeed in its push toward statehood.

From Aleut orphan to ambassador

At first, Benny hid from his new celebrity status, literally running into the woods when visitors arrived at the school. But over time he used his fame to serve as a "goodwill ambassador" for Alaska, and helped to break down barriers for native Alaskans. He often said that the greatest thrill of his life was receiving a standing ovation as he was presented to the delegates of the Alaska Constitutional Convention in 1959, when his flag was converted from a territorial flag to a state flag. He also became the first Alaska native to be officially admitted to the Elks Club in Alaska, despite the protests of Elks Lodges in the Lower 48.

Benny spent most of his adult life in Kodiak working as an airplane mechanic, but in his free time he used the sewing skills he acquired at the Jesse Lee Home to make autographed Alaska flags for each newly crowned Miss Alaska, legislative members and visiting dignitaries. Although he passed away in 1972, his memory lives on in many street names, school names, and monuments in Alaska which commemorate his contribution to the state.

Visit Alaska for its 50th anniversary in 2009

Alaska's statehood celebration kicked off in Anchorage on Jan. 4, 2008, and will continue throughout 2009, commemorating key dates along the way.

AAA offers a number of cruises and cruise tours that visit destinations with key landmarks in Alaska state history, including the Benny Benson Memorial at Mile 1.4 of the Seward Highway; the Juneau Memorial Library Building, where the first 49-star flag was raised on July 4, 1959; and Constitution Hall at the University of Alaska campus in Fairbanks, where the 1955-1956 Constitutional Convention was held.

Some of the available departures onboard Holland America Line's ships:

  • 7-day roundtrip from Seattle on ms Zaandam, ms Amsterdam and ms Westerdam: May 8-September 25, 2009


  • 7-day Vancouver to Seward on ms Statendam, ms Veendam and ms Ryndam: May 10-September 13, 2009


  • 7-day roundtrip from Vancouver on ms Volendam, ms Zuiderdam, ms Ryndam, ms Statendam and ms Veendam: May 8-September 20, 2009

Contact your AAA Travel Agent for exclusive savings and member benefits on these and other Alaska cruises.



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