Whitney Smith

Whitney Smith
Smith in 2007
Born	(1940-02-26) February 26, 1940 Arlington, Massachusetts, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Vexillologist

Whitney Smith (born February 26, 1940) is a professional vexillologist and scholar of flags. The term vexillology, which he originated in his 1958 article Flags of the Arab World, refers to the scholarly analysis of all aspects of flags. In 1961, Smith and colleague Gerhard Grahl cofounded The Flag Bulletin, the world's first journal about flags. The following year, Smith established the Flag Research Center in Winchester, Massachusetts. Smith closed the Flag Research Center and retired in 2011; his bimonthly journal The Flag Bulletin (ISSN 0015-3370) ceased publication the same year. The Center's library and archives have been trandferred to the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin.

Early life and education

Smith was born in Arlington, Massachusetts on February 26, 1940. He received his A.B. from Harvard University and his M.A. and PhD from Boston University. He was instructor and assistant professor of political science at Boston University from 1964 to 1970.

Career

Smith designed the proposal for the flag of Guyana which, after modification and addition of black and white, was adopted in 1966. It is also known as The Golden Arrowhead.

Smith also designed this flag as a proposed flag of Antarctica. Antarctica has no government or sovereign ruler and the flag has not been adopted in an official capacity by any organization.

Smith worked with Klaes Sierksma to organize the First International Congress of Vexillology (Muiderberg, Netherlands) in 1965. They joined Louis Mühlemann in founding the Fédération internationale des associations vexillologiques or International Federation of Vexillological Associations (known by its acronym FIAV), which was formally inaugurated in 1969. Smith was also responsible for founding the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) in 1967, and he is currently the organization's president emeritus.

Smith has written 27 books on the subject of flags, notably Flags Through the Ages and Across the World, The Flag Book of the United States, and Flag Lore of all Nations. Smith was the designer of the national flag of Guyana and has served as a vexillographer (flag designer) to a number of governments and organizations. In 1981, Smith was part of a committee who developed the flag of Bonaire.

NAVA's Whitney Smith Award for an outstanding contribution to North American vexillology is named in Smith's honor.

See also

• Graham Bartram
• William Crampton

References

• Smith, Whitney (1975). Flags: Through The Ages And Around The World. McGraw Hill. p. 238. ISBN 0-07-059093-1.

External links

• North American Vexillological Association homepage