Reflections On A Year Like No Other

An impromptu December gathering of members of the
American Heraldry Society in Alexandria, Virginia.

The year 2023 marked a decided turn for me in my heraldic journey.  After putting off what seemed inevitable, I finally embraced a 10-year challenge to finish researching the heraldic work of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941).  Frankly, this resolution and goal changed everything for me.  Towards the end of late summer, motivation crashed upon me like gigantic tidal waves pushing me deeper into la Rose's world.  A virtual explosion of articles seemingly sprang up from my finger tips.  With sharper research skills and the benefit of being very close to my data, I was making new connections and analyses at a startling pace.  

Furthermore, I learned to follow my intuition when identifying whether or not a given coat was worth tracking down evidence--with sufficiently trained eyes, I can now spot a la Rose design fairly easily.  Finding new arms for my data, however, has proven frustratingly painful given that many of these corporate arms are from closed institutions with scare evidence.  Thus, I made the ultimate decision to set a timer on data collection, and begin moving forward with analysis and writing.  I knew I could either spend the rest of my life tracking down la Rose's work, or move ahead with data in hand.  I truly hope that others will be capable of following my methods and add to the body of la Rose's heraldic work in time.  

My goal from the very beginning is to give the herald his proper place in history.  This past year has given me a renewed vigor in seeing this mission through.   

Research Highlights

Among the many breakthroughs I experienced this year regarding my research on la Rose, I can only write one word, CHICAGO.  

For a number of years, I kept having a gnawing feeling regarding several arms located in Chicago, arms that I believed were designed by la Rose but could not prove his work.  All that changed thanks in large part to the archivists from the Women and Leadership Archives of Loyola University Chicago who held a letter from la Rose dated July 19, 1930 giving answers to my long-held questions.  To read an analysis of these corporate arms, please click here.

The arms of Kenyon College (Gambier, OH) designed by Canon Watson between 1907-1908
appearing in the 1917 yearbook, The Reveille.  Watson was the first in the US to create the "unifying chief" for scholastic heraldry.  Source:  Kenyon College Archives. 

Furthermore, Chicago presented a rather interesting plot twist regarding the arms of the University of Chicago.  Following an analysis I completed on the arms of Kenyon College and the work of The Rev. Canon Orville E. Watson (1857-1951), I began revisiting all arms in my data devised between 1900-1915 that employed chiefs--I wanted to determine whether or not Canon Watson was indeed the first herald to use this technique in US scholastic arms.  To read about Canon Watson and the heraldry of Kenyon College, please click here.  This led me back to Chicago.  After stumbling upon some printed material in my files, I realized something was off regarding la Rose's attribution as the designer of the university's coat and off I went.  It turns out that la Rose did not in fact design the final version of arms used presently by the university, and the evidence blew my mind.  To read about the arms of the University of Chicago, please click here.      

Simply put, analyzing all that rich data was absolutely fascinating in my mind and represented some significant breakthroughs for our field.  While I have thankfully experienced other such breakthroughs, I've decided to save those for the book.  

Finally, I remain indebted to countless archivists across the US and Canada for their generous time and research assistance.  I received a lot of artifacts, correspondence, and data which helped fill in so many gaps in my research on la Rose.  After so many discoveries I had to share and used this blog to selectively post my findings.

Sharing My Research

The arms of the
University of the South (Sewanee, TN),
rendered by Dimitri Prica.

La Rose research aside, I had two lingering issues that I needed to address and overhaul--articles regarding the heraldry of my alma maters.  Readers might be interested to know that, by far, the two most visited articles share the stories of the armorial bearings of Hampden-Sydney College and the University of the South.  Knowing this, I wanted to overhaul those articles with updated data and emblazonments.  To read the story of how Hampden-Sydney College received its arms, please click here.  Finding digital emblazonments of Sewanee's heraldry was virtually impossible, so I commissioned two digital heraldic artists for complete sets in order to make these beautiful arms more accessible.  Please click here to learn about the heraldry of Sewanee.  It was important to me to do justice to both of my schools, and I hopefully accomplished that through my work. 

I was deeply honored to have several opportunities to present on US heraldry this past year.  Co-presenting with Paul Campbell from the College of Arms Foundation on the heraldry of the Ivy League was a bright moment this past fall.  I especially enjoyed the challenge to present at my daughter's high school earlier this month, sharing facts and my love of this subject with those students was definitely a personal highlight.

As I continued to fire up my laptop and post more regularly, I quickly began to build an audience of heraldry enthusiasts and this led to my final highlight.   

Building Community

A significant highlight for me this past year was being elected to serve on the American Heraldry Society's Board of Governors, a community that I've been a part of since 2014.  Additionally, I was appointed to lead our membership committee and we've already been hard at work, recently completing the Society's first member survey.  

The data we collected is both rich and revealing for the Board.  I thoroughly enjoy mixing my research background and professional non-profit experience to help advance the work of the Society.  I'm enjoying my new volunteer leadership role and hope to make meaningful contributions.      

The pandemic clearly changed our human experience and the methods in which we connect and communicate with others.  While Zoom has its benefits, there is nothing that could ever replace live human interaction.  Earlier this month, I had the great fortune to finally meet several members from the American Heraldry Society in-person for the first time.  While I've spoken on the phone and exchanged numerous emails with several, I had never actually met these heraldry enthusiasts before.

What's Next

The coming year promises to hold many exciting developments which I hope to share in time.  With many exciting developments in the pipeline for the American Heraldry Society, the International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences coming to Boston in September, and more research breakthroughs on the horizon, the new year will keep me busier and engaged like no other.   For now, I want to thank all my readers for your support and encouragement to keep moving forward.  Onwards!

Myth-Busting Heraldry: Fables, Facts, and the American Way

Newly emblazoned arms for my daughter.
Rendered by Allen Crawford, December 2023.

Several days ago, I received a text message from my daughter detailing a rather intriguing assignment for a high school history class.  What was the assignment?  You guessed it, students were asked to design their own coat of arms.  I contacted the instructor with an offer to deliver an age-appropriate presentation on heraldry with a specific focus on US-based heraldry.  "Myth-busting heraldry: Fables, facts, and the American way," quickly became the perfect presentation title.  

Having way too much fun building this slide deck.

The main goal with this presentation is to dispel many of the common American myths regarding the subject--every family has a coat of arms, armorial devices for nobility only, etc.--and provide accurate context and facts regarding heraldry and its use in this country.  I also wish to emphasize armorial assumption (a.k.a. "the American way") as this country's method in the absence of any heraldic authority.  I continue to believe there is nothing more American than armorial assumption.  

Using my own achievement for illustration.

To engage the students with this subject, I created (what I hope will be) a fun and engaging quiz, "Name That Shield," to underscore how coat armor creates identity.  For example, I'll share the arms of Harvard, the Episcopal Church, the arms of the sovereign of the United Kingdom, and so forth to see which arms are immediately recognizable.  Like any good teacher, following the exercise we will unpack the reasons pertaining to how and why the students were able to name the bearer of those shields.  My hope is students will begin to understand that simple and perspicuously designed arms hold power in our memories, serving as timeless abstract symbols of identity.

Perhaps the most exciting portion of the presentation, at least for me, will be guiding the students through the design and creation process.  To help bring this exercise to life, I created a coat of arms for the school itself to keep everything close to home in the minds of the students.

Fuqua School is a private, K-12 school located in Prince Edward County, Virginia.  The school is named after its benefactor, Mr. J.B. Fuqua (1918-2006) whose generous philanthropy helped propel the school to live out its mission to provide excellence in rural education.

Proposed arms for Fuqua School
designed by the Author and rendered
by Lucas Hofmann, November 2023.

Since the school's benefactor and namesake did not bear arms, I opted to use the school's mascot as the basis for the design.  The black falcon displayed, an unusual attitude for this heraldic bird, was fun to render.  The school's livery colors are black and red, and I knew those colors needed to be incorporated somehow as well.  The school does not have a motto, and thus I selected to charge the breast of the bird with a closed book to represent learning and scholarship.  Using the book--open or closed--is a well-known charge in scholastic heraldry.  

Given several limitations, I wanted to incorporate in these armorial bearings a geographical reference for further customization.  Formed in 1754, Prince Edward County is named for Prince Edward, the Duke of York and Albany (1739-1767).  To reference the county's namesake, I selected a simple ancient coronet for clear identification.

For additional reference, I selected three sheaves of wheat to identify the location of both Farmville and Prince Edward County.  The county's seal contains wheat, but also Mr. Fuqua's origins of farming and agriculture fits nicely as well.  

Roundel showing identification in the proposed arms for Fuqua School.
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, November 2023.

Having three sheaves of wheat enfiled by the ancient coronet contained in a roundel using red and gold provided a logical solution for using red while also locating the school geographically--a design scheme Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) created for his devisal of arms for Mundelein College in 1930.  For the college, la Rose used two roundels on the wings of a phoenix rising from the flames to reference the religious community's foundation as well as the corporate sole.  I believe this arrangement was perfect for this new design.  

The armorial flag of Fuqua School, rendered by Lucas Hofmann,
November 2023.

Through the American Heraldry Society, I received helpful feedback regarding my design.  One critical learning outcome:  falcons in heraldry are typically "belled and jessed," and this blazon was new to me. Adding bells tied with strings on the legs helps identify the bird as a falcon, while referencing the ancient practice of falconry at the same time. 

I was most impressed with how the designed turned out in full color--especially when seen as an armorial flag.  I can simply see this flag unfurled and flying on the school's flagpole any day now.

Why should schools consider adopting arms?  While it's my belief that heraldry was never intended to serve as a corporate brand as defined in the business literature, institutional heraldry serves as a distinctive expression of the mission and values of that brand.  In an age when schools, colleges, and universities (especially private ones) are constantly rebranding in order to own marketshare for enrollment needs, schools using arms provide a static symbol for countless generations of alumni and friends of their institutions.  A well designed shield creates a dignified emblem for the entire community to embrace and inhabit.  Additionally, arms provide decoration for school memorabilia, especially when otherwise using the legal corporate seal should be reserved for authentication.  Heraldry also elevates any school or academic ceremony with dignity while creating new traditions at the same time.  Ultimately, a school's coat of arms becomes a timeless symbol of pride for the entire community, a testament to the carrying power of an idea birthed in the 12th Century.  I believe these are among the best reasons for academic institutions to adopt and use arms. 

Sharing my love of heraldry, and how arms provide unique identification, is work I'll never grow tired of doing; I'm excited for next week.  While it remains to be seen if the school likes, much less adopts this design of arms, I enjoyed the process and the creative stimulation.  I'll certainly post any updates in the future.

Blazon of proposed arms for Fuqua School: Argent, on the breast of a falcon displayed sable belled and jessed proper, a closed book with two clasps Or, on each wing a torteau edged Or charged with three sheafs of wheat enfiled by an ancient coronet all Or.