To the Editor:
It was on 1976, our country’s 200th anniversary. I was finishing up my art teaching degree. One more semester to go and I would be a licensed visual arts teacher.
Tuition at a state college was pretty reasonable. My husband’s company, BASF, was having an art contest for its employees and their families. The prize was a $200 bond for each winner. There would be 10 awards in all, which in 1976 was extremely generous.
I planned my pencil drawing. It would include, of course, an American flag. Those carrying the flag would have to be children: two girls and two boys.
July 1, 2026
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