Part 2
Alaska State Flag, and Song, Intertwined Around Benny Benson - part 2
The Words
Lester Henderson, the current commissioner of education, wanted an educational program
in 1935 designed to familiarize school children with the new Alaska flag. Marie Drake
had assumed the post of assistant commissioner of education in 1934 and suggested
that something more was necessary to catch the children鈥檚 attention and spark their
interest in the flag. 鈥淚t ought to be a jingle, which the children can easily read
and understand, or they won鈥檛 remember what it鈥檚 all about,鈥 Marie said.
The commissioner immediately challenged her to write just that. In her position, Marie Drake edited and wrote most of the material for the department鈥檚 school bulletin circulated throughout the territorial school system. She was inspired by the entire flag story and a patriotic poem about the flag had been percolating in her mind. The poem was then published in the October 1935 edition of the school bulletin. Much of Drake鈥檚 poem reflected Benson鈥檚 ideas in his design notes.
Alaska's Flag
Eight stars of gold on a field of blue-
Alaska鈥檚 flag, may it mean to you
The blue of the sea, the evening sky,
The mountain lakes, and the flowers nearby;
The Gold of the early sourdough鈥檚 dreams,
The precious gold of the hills and streams;
The brilliant stars in the northern sky,
The 鈥滲ear鈥 - the 鈥淒ipper鈥 - and shining high,
The great North Star with its steady light,
Over land and sea a beacon bright.
Alaska鈥檚 flag to Alaskan鈥檚 dear,
The simple flag of the last frontier.
Born and raised in Van Wert, Ohio, Marie Drake and her husband Jim, arrived in Seattle during World War I, headed for overseas duty in Red Cross work, in which they had been trained. Soon after their arrival in Seattle, however, the war ended. 鈥淲e had said our 鈥榞oodbyes鈥 in the East, so we decided to come on to Alaska which had always been our dream. So Jim came to work in the post office and I, for the Commissioner of Education,鈥 laughed Marie.
In 1958 Marie was honored by the University of Alaska with a honorary Doctorate of Letters, for her personal involvement in the history of the state. They remained for life, which for Marie lasted until March 5, 1963, when she passed away at St. Ann鈥檚 Hospital in Juneau.
The Music
Elinor Dusenbury had lived in Haines, Alaska from 1933 to 1936. Her husband had been
stationed there as the commanding officer at the Chilkoot Barracks. At the end of
his assignment and on the boat leaving Alaska toward her new home in Omaha, Nebraska,
she was stirred by a longing for the state to compose a melody for the Flag Poem.
Elinor had the skills and passion necessary for the task 鈥 she had been the public
school choral director and a singer herself.
Carol Davis' book, "Alaska's Flag," quoted Dusenbury: 鈥淚 wrote the music for Marie鈥檚 beautiful poetry from pure, unadulterated homesickness for Alaska! I shed more tears on the boat going out than I ever have, before or since. I had a book on Alaska with the picture of the flag and Marie鈥檚 poem. That did it!鈥
Upon arriving in Nebraska, Elinor wrote the melody for the poem, yet struggled with some of the details for several months. In the summer of 1938 Elinor meet Marie at the Baranof Hotel in Juneau and played the tune for her. Marie was so overwhelmed that she cried with joy. A publisher was secured for the poem and musical accompaniment and when the song and words were released, its popularity throughout the state was enormous.
The territorial legislature adopted "Alaska's Flag" as Alaska鈥檚 official song on Feb. 23, 1955. That November the convention was held and a constitution for the state of Alaska was written by the 55 delegates elected from around the state. The setting for this was Constitution Hall on the University of Alaska campus in Fairbanks. In April of the next year, Alaska voters approved the new constitution and it would take effect upon the approval of statehood by Congress. By 1958 Congress had passed the statehood bill and on January 3, 1959, President Dwight Eisenhower introduced Alaska to the United States as its 49th state.