STATE SEEKS STUDENT HELP IN PRESERVING ORIGINAL STATE FLAG (10 YEARS AGO)

March 15, 1988; Page 1A

Reprinted from the Southeast Missourian

Missouri school children have been asked to help raise funds to preserve the state's original flag.

The 75-year-old silk and hand-painted flag was designed by Marie Elizabeth Oliver of Cape Girardeau. Oliver worked with Mary Kochtitzky, also of Cape Girardeau, to stitch the flag from silk fabric and paint the state seal on the flag.

After the design was adopted, Oliver kept the original flag until she died. After that, her family donated the flag to the state. It was placed on display in the capitol.

Secretary of State Roy Blunt, who is the state's chief archivist and curator of the official flag, is asking students to help raise $9,200.

The restoration project coincides with the 75th anniversary of the signing of legislation in March of 1913 designating a state flag for Missouri.

Libby Oliver, the granddaughter-in-law of Marie Oliver, lives in Cape Girardeau.

Oliver said she was pleased with efforts to preserve the flag.

"I really think it's wonderful," she said. "It's a marvelous way for young people to learn the history and feel a part of it."

"If the children just give a penny they can feel a part of it."

Oliver said restoring the flag is important to retain part of the state's and this community's history.

"It was designed right here at 740 North Street," she said. "I think it's always nice to see the original article like the Declaration of Independence."

Oliver said she last visited the flag at the capitol in the early 1970s.

"It was starting to fall into disrepair then," she said. "I'm just thrilled that the state has interest enough to preserve the flag."

"The flag has deteriorated so much over the years that in 1980 it had to be removed from display," Blunt said. "This restoration is an effort to get that flag preserved and back on public display where it belongs."

Blunt said he is taking the project to the elementary students because most young Missourians study about state government and history in the 4th, 5th and 6th grades.

"A few years ago, school children across the country and in many districts in our state got excited about restoring the Statue of Liberty. I'd like to see Missouri school children get excited about this project so in years to come they can take their children to our capitol and show them an important piece of our history and hopefully part of our history that they helped preserve," he said.

The secretary of state said the Missouri Heritage Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to advancing the appreciation of Missouri's history, would offer a full size Missouri state flag along with special historic certificates to those schools which raise a minimum of $75 for the 75th anniversary project.

Additionally, Blunt said the 10 schools with the highest contributions per elementary student enrolled will receive special recognition. Every elementary school participating in the program will receive a special proclamation.

In 1908, the Daughters of the American Revolution appointed a committee to initiate a move to prepare a design for a state flag and if possible to secure the passage of a bill making it the official flag of the state.

Marie Elizabeth Oliver was a member of the committee. She corresponded with all of the other states and after months of study and research designed the current flag.

She called to her assistance Mary Kochtitzky, then a Cape Girardeau artist, to assist her in painting the design which was adopted in March 1913.