Jamie Allard: On Alaska Flag Day, we honor Benny Benson’s enduring gift

By REP. JAMIE ALLARD

July 9, 2026 – Every year on July 9, Alaskans have a special reason to pause and reflect. It’s Alaska Flag Day, the anniversary of the day in 1927 when our beautiful blue-and-gold flag was officially raised for the very first time.

That flag tells a story unlike any other in America.

It wasn’t designed by a famous artist, a politician, or (thankfully) a legislative conference committee. It came from the imagination of a young Alaska boy named Benny Benson, just 14 years old, whose vision has endured for nearly a century.

Benny’s story is one of resilience. Born in Chignik in 1912, he was of Unangan (Aleut), Russian, and Swedish heritage. After losing his mother to pneumonia as a young child and suffering the loss of his family home in a fire, he was sent to the Jesse Lee Home orphanage, where he eventually attended school in Seward.

When Territorial Governor George Parks encouraged the American Legion to sponsor a contest for Alaska schoolchildren to design a territorial flag, hundreds of students submitted ideas. Many included gold pans, polar bears, the northern lights, or the territorial seal.

Benny chose simplicity, a design that featured eight gold stars against a field of deep blue. Seven stars form the Big Dipper, representing strength through the Great Bear. The eighth star is Polaris, the North Star, symbolizing Alaska’s place as the northernmost land and, in Benny’s own words, “the future state of Alaska.” Today we can hardly imagine any other symbol would be so perfect for our state.

He explained his design beautifully:

“The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaska flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly in the union. The Dipper is for the Great Bear, symbolizing strength.”

The judges unanimously selected his design without knowing anything about touching history of the young artist behind it. The Territorial Legislature adopted it in May 1927, and on July 9 of that year, Benny himself raised the flag during its first official ceremony in Seward.

Nearly 100 years later, that same flag still flies over our schools, our homes, our businesses, and our state Capitol.

It reminds us that Alaska has always been built by ordinary people with extraordinary dreams.

Today, as we celebrate Alaska Flag Day, I hope we also celebrate what makes this state so remarkable: our independence, our pioneering spirit, our breathtaking beauty, and the people who refuse to give up on Alaska’s future.

We have challenges, to be sure. Every legislative session reminds us there is plenty of work left to do. But I remain optimistic because I know the character of Alaskans. We solve problems. We help our neighbors. We believe this state is worth fighting for.

That’s why I love summer in Alaska, when communities come together to celebrate everything that makes our state special.

This week, I’ll be at the Eagle River Bear Paw Festival, and I hope you’ll stop by my booth. I’d love the chance to visit with you, celebrate everything we love about Alaska, hear your ideas, and talk about what still needs to change to keep our state strong for future generations.

Benny Benson gave us more than a flag. He gave us a symbol of hope, strength, and possibility that continues to unite Alaskans from every corner of our great state.

So today, when you see our flag waving against that unmistakable Alaska sky, take a moment to remember the young boy who imagined it. And remember that the future of Alaska is still being written by people who love this place enough to dream big.

Happy Alaska Flag Day. I can’t wait to see many of you at Bear Paw!

Rep. Jamie Allard serves Eagle River and Chugiak District 23 in the Alaska House of Representatives and earlier served on the Anchorage Assembly for the same communities.