Alaska's Birthday

Though usually I'm not all gaga about statehood anniversaries cards this one has some virtues. The background image is Mt. McKinley (20,320 ft) as seen from Denali National Park's Wonder Lake. The text is the state song. The flag is Alaska's: gold stars on a field of blue.

I am fond of our state's flag. It was designed in 1927, when Alaska was a territory of the United States by Benny Benson, a seventh-grader from the post city of Seward. His design was one of 36 submitted in a contest open to schoolchildren in grades 7-12. His simple design won the day and, thankfully, was not altered, by pompous crests and crowns that adorn many U.S. state's flags, when Alaska joined the union of American states on Jan. 3, 1958.


This particular card was sent to my daughter August 24 by her 4th-grade teacher a week before school started 2006. On the back was written this ditty.

On Monday morning,

Rise and shine,

Buckle your shoes, put on you backpack,

It's school time!

One last look at your bed,

Then out the door, on to school!

Everyone will be there, and

Let's make our year really cool!