One of our Own Designed The Canadian Flag

The Royal Union Flag, which is also the flag of the United Kingdom, was used as the official flag of Canada until 1965. Various designs of the Canadian Red Ensign were used between 1868 and 1965 but Canada’s Parliament never officially adopted them. The National Flag of Canada’s current design results from a period of discussion, debate and political maneuvering in the early 1960s.

Dr. George F.G. Stanley designed the current flag, which is inspired by the Royal Military College of Canada’s flag. The multi-party parliamentary committee formed to select a new flag unanimously chose the design on October 29, 1964. The House of Commons passed the design on December 15, 1964. Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed the new flag on January 28, 1965, and it was inaugurated on February 15 in the same year.

In the picture below, you can see George sitting with his wife Ruth, after a Rotary meeting on March 16, 2000.  The picture was taken at our meeting place at the time  - The Drew Nursing Home.

Sitting front row - left to right:

Nancy Gilbert, Ralph Howe, * Pam Harrison, Dr. George Stanley, Ruth Stanley, Elaine Smith and Barbara Campbell

Standing back row - left to right:

* Frank Chisholm, Virgil Hammock, Jim Purdy, *Charlie Scobie, Joe Atkinson, Robert Milton, *George Woodburn, Joyce Chua (RYE Student) *Ove Samuelsen, Muriel Stirling, *Wayne Harper, Rick Ayer, and Ron Corbett.

* = Current Members as of February 2014