The 17-Year-Old Student Who Designed the Current US Flag for A School Project...and Got a B

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Here's Greg Hengler with the story. After learning about Betsy Ross, you probably didn't give much thought to how the subsequent US flags were designed. It might seem like a no-brainer flag makers just added a new star for every new state, right?

Well, it turns out not that simple. Each new flag has a very careful design and the arrangement of the stars must be precise and symmetrical. And for the flag we know today, that arrangement was designed by a junior in high school from Ohio.

It was 1958 and America only contained 48 United States. The flag at the time featured six rows of eight stars. Bob Heft's history teacher assigned a class project where each student had to bring in something they made. Bob Heft loved flags and he loved politics. So having been inspired by the Betsy Ross story the class just studied and seeing the news that Alaska was poised to become our nation's 49th state with Hawaii soon behind, Heft decided to make a 50-star flag. Here's Bob. In American history class we had to do an outside of class project.

We could make or do whatever we wanted like a science fair or something like that to bring the project in. The Betsy Ross story intrigued me and my mom and dad they had a 48-star flag they received as a wedding present which of course meant a lot to them. Well, I took a scissors and cut it up. Heft's mother walked in from the kitchen and found him cutting up their family flag and promptly began scolding him. She told his father when he got home and Heft received another tongue lashing.

I had always been in the boy scouts and I had always been patriotic, Heft told the Lancaster Eagle Gazette in 2007. They wanted to know why I would turn on the flag. I had never sewn in my life.

I watched my mom sew but I'd never sewn and since making the flag of her country I've never sewn again. So anyhow we get to class I had my flag on the teacher's desk and the teacher said what's this thing on my desk? So I got up and I approached the desk and I'm shaking like a leaf and he said why you got too many stars? You don't even know how many states we have and he gave me the grade of a b-minus. Now that a b-minus isn't that bad of a grade however a friend of mine, Jim, he picked up five leaves off the ground. He's taping these leaves down to the notebook and labeling elm, hickory, maple and the teacher gave him the grade of an a. I was really I was I was upset. The teacher said if you don't like the grade get it accepted in Washington then come back and see me. I might consider changing the grade.

Bob arrived home that day with his class project. And I had it in a plastic bag and I threw it on the sofa and a mother came in she said supper's ready. I said I'm not hungry. She said what's wrong? I said and I never talked about a teacher. I said this stupid teacher gave me a b-minus on the flag and then she really hacked me.

I said that's more I'd have given you because she was really dead set against this. Two years later I'd written 21 letters to the White House made 18 phone calls. Now you can imagine when my mom got the phone bill what's this number? I said well mom that's the White House. So anyhow I got this call and it said now the President of the United States is calling you later on today. Well at that time Eisenhower was president and he comes on the phone and he says is this Robert G. Hept? And I said yes sir but you can just call me Bob.

And he says I want to know the possibility of coming to Washington D.C. on July 4th for the official adoption of the new flag. Bob received this call from President Eisenhower at his new place of employment. Here's what happened next. Well I've been at this company 11 days. I said well wait a minute my boss is standing here. I reached down pushed the red button on the phone put the President on the phone and I said put the red button on the phone put the President of the United States on hold.

What are you doing? I said I've got to talk to him. He said you just put the President of the United States on hold. I said he wants me to come to Washington. He said well tell him you'll be there. I said look I don't have any sick leave.

I don't have any vacation because you know your first job out of high school you don't want to mess up and just lose it. And he said get him back on the phone. We'll work out the details. We'll charge it off to executive leave or something but get him back. He was really upset and we did a lot of military contracts. I think they probably thought here's this kid that's been working there for 11 days is going to mess up future contracts you know putting the President on hold. So I picked up the phone put the white button put the phone up and said Dwight are you still there?

Because you know I didn't know how you properly address it and and they're cracking up. Oh my lord here's Bob talking to his buddy Dwight and stuff. Years following his talk with Dwight Bob preserved this historic moment and paid a visit to his old teacher.

And so I have the grade book as encased in plastic that's kept in a bank my teacher and he said I guess if it's good enough for Washington it's good enough for me I hereby change the grade to an A. Decades after Heft inspired people young and old with his follow your dreams story. He became a high school teacher, college professor, and a seven-term mayor of Napoleon, Ohio.

He spoke extensively as many as 200 engagements a year and visited the White House 14 times under nine presidents. Heft died on December 12, 2009 at the age of 68 but his legacy survives every time we fly his 50-star creation. And if the U.S. ever adds a 50-first state Heft's got that flag covered too. Back in 1958 he designed a 51-star version that uses six rows of stars alternating between rows of nine and eight. This would make Heft the only person to design two United States flags.

Bob said in 2007 an idea doesn't do any good if you don't pursue it. And a terrific job on the production, editing, and storytelling by our own Greg Hengler and what a story Bob Heft's is and was. Class project assignment basically a high school class project an American history class project and my goodness be still my heart we should have more like these. The story of American imagination the story of Bob Heft here on Our American Stories. This is Lee Habib host of Our American Stories. Every day we set out to tell the stories of Americans past and present from small towns to big cities and from all walks of life doing extraordinary things but we truly can't do this show without you. Our shows are free to listen to but they're not free to make. If you love what you hear go to OurAmericanStories.com and make a donation to keep the stories coming.

That's OurAmericanStories.com. On Saturday February 22nd at 1 30 p.m Eastern it's the Pro Volleyball Federation's first All-Star match. The league's biggest stars will clash in a can't miss event hosting the Indy metro area.

Home of the Indy Ignite. Catch every serve spike and save live on CBS. Don't miss this historic showdown of volleyball's finest.

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