For the Love of Flags

My ever-expanding collection of armorial desk flags.

Readers will recently notice that I've seriously kicked up my artwork game, namely adding armorial flags and banners to posts in an effort to break up lengthy texts.  My confession:  I am absolutely fascinated by flying heraldry and all thanks to Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941).

I vividly recall the first time I encountered one of la Rose's flags early in my research back in 2014.  For his commission with Mundelein College in 1930, la Rose not only designed a beautiful coat for the institution, but rendered an armorial flag and "banner" as well.  Please click here to learn more about Mundelein College's arms.  I had no idea that a shield's design could be arranged in such a way, and my interest was clearly piqued. 

Armorial flag of Mundelein College designed by la Rose in 1930.
Image courtesy of the Women's and Leadership Archives, Loyola University, 2023.

Seeing la Rose's flag design set off a series of ideas running in my head regarding arms familiar to my experience.  Having admittedly poor draftsmanship, I broke out a pencil and ruler fumbling through multiple attempts to arrange the arms of Sewanee: The University of the South and its schools into flags.  Looking back now, selecting these arms with the intricate Sewanee tressure was probably not the wisest choice for my first go at this newfound interest.  Please click here to read about Sewanee's heraldry.  

Pencil drawings of armorial flags of the University of the South and its schools.
By the Author, 2014.

Dialing in the Sewanee tressure to near perfection about did me in, but I learned that it's all about straight lines and angles.  In the end, I appreciated Dr. McCrady's creativity when he designed these arms.  Below is a curated display of armorial flags commissioned so far, and there's a few more still to come.

The University of the South. 
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024.

College of Arts & Sciences, the University of the South.
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024.

The School of Theology, the University of the South.
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024.

Hampden-Sydney College.
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024.

The American Heraldry Society.
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2023.

My attributed design for an armorial flag for Fuqua School.
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2023.

The Medieval Academy of America.  The arms were originally designed by la Rose.
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024.

Lenox School.  The arms were originally designed by la Rose.
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024.

I've taken my passion for armorial flags to the next level by attempting to digitally emblazon some of my favorite arms designed by la Rose.  Below are several flags I recently rendered as part of a study of la Rose's methods for translating arms from shield to flag.  While not perfect, as I am by no means a digital heraldic artist, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.  Honestly, I was slightly impressed after my first go at things.  I started with Harvard's arms and the next thing I knew I created over 20 flags.  

While la Rose did not create the arms for Harvard University, he was the first to translate its shield into a banner of arms which the Harvard Corporation officially adopted in 1918.  Please click here to read more about la Rose's design for an armorial flag for Harvard.  

The second flag rendering attempted was local--the arms of the Diocese of Richmond which are simple and lovely.  To learn more about la Rose's design for the Diocese of Richmond, please click here.  Finally, if the reader is mesmerized--like I am--by the arms la Rose created for St. George's School, click here for my analysis on these stunning arms.  The portion of the lozengy field covered by the red cross of St. George creates a visual delight drawing the eyes immediately to the arms.  

On the heels of three successful armorial flag emblazonments, I went full throttle without looking back.  So enjoy these flags, image if the reader had nothing to look at other than my humble pencil sketches...   

Harvard University based on la Rose's design.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Kirkland House, Harvard.  The arms were originally designed by la Rose and have since changed. Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Harvard Law School.  The arms were originally designed by la Rose and have since changed.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Harvard Divinity School.  The arms were originally designed by la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Diocese of Richmond (Virginia).  The arms were originally designed by la Rose.  Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Archdiocese of Seattle.  The arms were originally designed by la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

St. George's School (RI).  These arms were originally designed by la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Brooks School (MA).  Most likely designed by la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Berkeley Divinity School at Yale.  These arms were redesigned by la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Pierson College at Yale.  These arms were originally designed by la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Rice University.  These arms were originally designed by la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Two quick projects in the pipeline include digital art for my armorial flag and one for my brother.  Below are my final pencil drawings for Hofmann.

Armorial flag of my brother's arms.

Layout of my assumed arms as an armorial flag.

Armorial flags continue to fascinate me as visual identification flying high on a pole.  The applications for heraldry are truly endless.  More to come.

The American Heraldry Society Selects Design Award Recipient

Armorial banners of the American Heraldry Society
and the School of Theology rendered by Lucas Hofmann.

The American Heraldry Society recently announced the 2024 winner of its design award, and this year's recipient is the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.  Established in 2006, the award is named in honor of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941), the great American heraldic designer responsible for reviving heraldry in the US during the early 20th Century.  Click here to read the full press announcement.

Arms of the School of Theology,
rendered by Lucas Hofmann.

The award has a unique purpose, to encourage and support excellence in American heraldry by recognizing coat of arms that provide the bearer with a strong public identity embodying the best heraldic design of the highest form, function, and aesthetic.  Society members may nominate any US corporate body from academic, military, civic, religious, or social organizations whose arms exemplify the best in heraldic design. There is one additional requirement for the nominee:  the arms must have been designed in the United States. 

The Society's mission is, "to promote the study and proper use of heraldry in America," and one way it advances that mission is through the design award.  In other words, the award is a celebration of the best in American heraldry.

I was proud to nominate the arms of my alma mater and honor the important contributions its designer made to field of American heraldry.  Designed in 1981 by Sewanee alumnus and professor Dr. James Warring McCrady, the arms of the seminary incorporated the colors red and gold from the arms used by The Rev. William Porcher DuBose (1836-1918).  DuBose served as the seminary’s second dean and widely known throughout the Episcopal Church as a scholar and theologian.  

Armorial flag of the arms of the School of Theology,
rendered by Lucas Hofmann.

The fleam represents the dedication of the student body to St. Luke and the seminary's original chapel on campus--history has attributed the saint as a surgeon. McCrady added the bar on the surgical device to create a unique crossed charge to clearly identify the school’s mission of priestly formation for the church. One important contribution to American heraldry made by McCrady was his creation of the “Sewanee tressure.” The tressure was a creative way to show corporate unification within all three arms he designed, and its name was suggested by the Lord Lyon in 1981 as McCrady submitted his designs for peer review to the authority in Scotland. 

Blazon:  Gules, on a cross Or surmounted by a Sewanee Tressure counter-changed a crossed fleam Sable. 

Having spent three formative years on the Domain of the University of the South as a seminarian, I had a lot of time to "inhabit" and own these arms.  For me, at least, they represent far more than a great design, they hold precious memories and important life lessons learned.  Click here to read a deeper analysis on the arms of the School of Theology. 

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!

Flying Heraldry: The Arms of the American Heraldry Society

Flag of arms for the American Heraldry Society, rendered by Lucas Hofmann,
November 2023.

Flying heraldry brings to life the abstraction of the shield, and I simply love to see how a coat of arms can be translated as a flag.  Several days ago, I began sketching out the arms of the American Heraldry Society to see how they would appear when rendered as a flag.  Note, this flag is not official but just for fun.  My drafting skills are clearly limited and I work in pencil--the eraser is my friend.  Sadly, I've never learned digital art, and I'll leave that up to the experts.  My goal with any line drawing is to give the artist the exact proportions and overall design concept for a finished product. 

For these American corporate arms to become a flag, I wanted to use designs from the great Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) for a distinctly "American feel."  So, I cobbled together various artifacts from my data and voila.

The initial sketch with the talons and tail feathers compressed,
leaving empty space below the eagle.

La Rose used the eagle extensively in his design work, mainly as the charge representing Saint John.  Additionally, the phoenix rising from the flames has the same body as an eagle.

One of six shield shapes used by la Rose throughout his heraldic work,
rendered by Dimitri Prica.

For the three eschuteons on the chief, I wanted to use one of the six shapes la Rose employed throughout his career.  I selected the one above to help break up all the straight lines.

I received some helpful feedback based on my initial sketch, as the eagle's talons and tail feathers appeared too compressed.  With a solution in mind, I made another sketch landing on the final image below.

Concept sketch:  final line drawing for the flag.

La Rose was big on "filling the field," or rather keeping charges in proportion to the field to avoid leaving empty space.  My first sketch violated that cardinal rule as the bottom feathers and legs left too much empty space--a no no for the herald!  Needless to say, la Rose has a lot to teach us about design composition, and I'm learning something new--from something old--every day.

The Society's arms rendered as a heraldic banner, by Lucas Hofmann, November 2023.

Seeing a sketch come to life through a full-colored digital rendering is truly fun and gratifying.  For now, I'll keep doodling and see what else can be hoisted from a flag pole.

The American Heraldry Society

The arms of the American Heraldry Society.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

When I dove head first into the world of heraldry back in 2014, I was curious to know if there were other crazy folks inspired by this abstract and rather arcane subject.  Upon discovering the American Heraldry Society (AHS), I was excited to know others like me existed in the world, and I immediately joined and became a new member.  

In those days all discussions were posted within forums on the Society's website, whereas today the Society's FaceBook page hosts those conversations.  I remember well seeing all the brilliantly colored digital emblazonments of members' arms in those forums, and those images fueled my desire to find a digital heraldic artist for my own arms.  I was thrilled to find a sharing community of scholars and enthusiasts who were simply passionate about heraldry.

Society members patiently answered questions from this tenderfoot, provided assistance with blazoning, and otherwise mentored me on this journey of discovery.  Simply put,  Society members hold a wide body of knowledge relating to many aspects of heraldry--from civic/corporate, ecclesiastical, Scottish/English, to the heraldry of US Presidents and American historical figures.  AHS is a veritable feast for networking and learning.  

The Society awards annually its Pierre de Chaignon la Rose Design Award to organizations in the US bearing and currently using arms.  The design award is the Society's opportunity to promote corporate arms by recognizing their use in the 21st century.  The Society also maintains a scholarship fund.  

Though I had to step away from any heraldic pursuits for a number of years to buckle down on my doctoral research, I am oddly grateful for those dark days of quarantine during the pandemic--the isolation reignited my passion for heraldry and I resumed membership in AHS.   

Arms of AHS emblazoned by
Quentin Peacock of the UK. 
Image source: AHS Facebook.

Now in 2023, I was recently elected to serve as a Governor-at-large for the Society.  For context, board membership consists of five elected members; three serve one year terms as officers of the Society, while the other two serve at-large with staggered two year terms. 

I cannot describe how I felt when I was nominated to be on the Board of Governors--I was honestly surprised and quite humbled actually.  Through this blog, I have since learned, colleagues in the field know who I am along with my research focus--this was the surprising part (humbling as well).  For the next two years, I will endeavor to give my all towards furthering the work and mission of the Society.  I am excited to get started; the opportunities for AHS and its members are plentiful.

In the meantime, please consider pointing your browser to The American Heraldry Society's website and our AHS Facebook page.  All are welcome and invited.

The Board of Governors has its work cut out, and fixing our website is top of mind.  With the International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences coming to the US for the first time in September 2024, the Society has a significant opportunity to help represent American heraldry in Boston--oddly where my research muse spent the majority of his life.  I will certainly post relevant AHS news and happenings here in the days and weeks to come.  Onwards!

Board of Governors for 2023-2024

President: Ethan MacDonald, FSA Scot

Secretary: Kimon Andreou

Treasurer: David Boven, Ph.D. (Immediate Past President)  

Jeremy Hammond is currently one of two Governors-at-large with a term ending in 2024, and thus was not up for election.  Let's roll up our sleeves and dig in.

Additionally, I want to acknowledge and thank Joseph McMillan and David Pope for their tireless service, devotion, and leadership to AHS.   

The blazon for the arms of the American Heraldry Society:  Gules, an American Bald Eagle displayed proper on a chief azure three escutcheons argent.

The Arms of the School of Theology, The University of the South

Armorial flags of the University and its Seminary, rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024.

In the Fall of 2007, the Krouse family moved onto the Domain of the University of the South.  Located atop the Cumberland Plateau in the town of Sewanee, Tennessee,  the School of Theology has been forming women and men for ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church since 1878.  With my daughter celebrating her first birthday, and my son coming along to join the clan in a few months, both the seminary and community became a treasured safe-haven for me and my family. 

The School of Theology has produced scores of priests, theologians, and bishops throughout the world formed at Sewanee and ready for ministry within the church.  I was truly fortunate to have been taught and formed by so many legendary academics.  Professors such as The Rev. Dr. Donald S. Armentrout (1939-2013) who famously taught church history with so much hyperbole and excitement, students oftentimes felt alive and embraced by the characters he portrayed.  I can still see Dr. Armentrout holding onto his suspender straps.  The Rev. Dr. A. Richard Smith (1928-2020), the legendary professor who taught New Testament Greek, not only made an ancient language understandable but helped us dive deeply into those texts for a richer understanding of the Christian faith.  

In times of personal crisis, Dr. Joseph E. Monti (1943-2023) was always there with an empathic ear and wise counsel.  An ethicist, Dr. Monti taught moral theology and famously wheeled in a cart containing his notoriously thick syllabus--literally filling up an entire three-ring binder and bringing tears to the eyes of his pupils.  He was a force to be reckoned with, but sweet and gentle all the same.  Another inspiring and vibrant professor was The Rev. Dr. Susanna Metz (d. 2022.) who taught contextual theology and led the field education program.  Susanna, as she insisted on being called, was always laughing and believed deeply that Jesus wanted us all to simply lighten up.  I cherish clinking mugs of beer with Susanna and my classmates at Shenanigans, as we successfully coaxed her to move our small class discussion at times.

Proud dad moment.  My son was baptized in 2007 during the Great Easter Vigil at All Saints' Chapel, Sewanee.  My proud grandfather, "Pappaw," smiles with me.  

Finally, I had the honor of befriending The Rev. Dr. Marion J. Hatchett (1927-2009) towards the end of his historic and scholarly life.  I worked with him to arrange his vast library collection and deliver boxes of old books to the university's library so as to fill in any gaps in their collections.  I am thankful that I had Marion, as he simply wished to be called, autograph for me every copy from his list of published works.  I cherish our many luncheons we had together.  What a gem!    

Today, new legends are forming at the seminary, and while my path led me in a different direction away from ordained ministry, I have employed countless lessons learned as a seminarian which continue to enrich my life.  Why do I share all of this?  Simply because I have learned over the years that Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) knew of how we view symbols.  The great transcendentalist deeply understood the power these symbols have in the course of human experience.  Emerson wrote:

The world being thus put under the mind for verb and noun, the poet is he who can articulate it. For though life is great, and fascinates, and absorbs; and though all men are intelligent of the symbols through which it is named; yet they cannot originally use them. We are symbols and inhabit symbols [emphasis mine]; workmen, work, and tools, words and things, birth and death, all are emblems; but we sympathize with the symbols, and being infatuated with the economical uses of things, we do not know that they are thoughts" (Emerson, 1983, page 456).

In other words, whenever I see the arms of the School of Theology, I cannot help but heap onto that shield my own deeply personal experience with the place.  While heraldry was never intended to bear such weight, the human experience appropriates, when in use, those memories onto a coat of arms.  I believe this with all my heart.  Perhaps, this is why scholastic heraldry is so important.  I need something to hold onto to bear in my life those memories.  I live and inhabit this coat of arms.  

The arms of the School of Theology, from a library painting which prominently hangs inside the Student Common Room, Hamilton Hall.

Designed in 1981 by Sewanee Professor James Waring McCrady (b. 1938), the arms of the seminary carry forward McCrady's unique "Sewanee tressure," his device for showing unification within the arms of the subordinate colleges and schools of the university (McCrady, 2009, p. 552).  In McCrady (1983), he offers this blazon for the seminary's arms, "Gules on a cross or surmounted by a Sewanee tressure counter-changed a crossed fleam sable" (page 30). 

For a detailed analysis on the heraldry of the University of the South, please click here. 

The arms of the School of Theology,
The University of the South designed in 1981
by Dr. McCrady and emblazoned
by Lucas Hofmann, September 2023.

According to McCrady (1983), the colors gules (red) and or (gold) come from the arms of William Porcher DuBose (1836-1918), who served as the second dean of the seminary.  The crossed fleam in the center represents the patron saint of the seminary community, Saint Luke. Saint Luke was also the name of the seminary's first building on campus as well as the name of one of the chapels which can all be seen today.  The Gospel writer is attributed as a physician, hence the use of the fleam which was a physician's implement for bleeding.  McCrady added the cross bar to the fleam in a most unusual way that gives dignity and significance to the design--typically in heraldry, the fleam is a stand-alone charge and McCrady's differencing of that symbol is purely masterful. To render the crossed-fleam in sable (black) not only alludes to the clerical color, but also to the Manigault arms, "the widow upon whose benefaction the seminary originally depended" (McCrady, 1983, page 30). 

McCrady's design for the arms of the seminary is simply genius.  His forms are simple and direct.  Not only are the seminary's arms beautiful, but they convey clearly the mission of the school.  This shield is a treasured possession for so many seminarians and Episcopal clergy who were deeply formed within the walls of Hamilton Hall.

In 2024, the American Heraldry Society selected the seminary's arms to receive its annual Pierre de Chaignon la Rose Design Award.  Click here to read the press announcement from the School of Theology.   

An armorial flag for the School of Theology, The University of the South drawn by the author, September 19, 2014.

Over the past few years, the School of Theology has embraced her arms as evidenced by a few events.  When comparing the popular use of the seminary's coat to the others found within Sewanee's heraldry, it is likely that the seminary's arms are used more so due to the influence of heraldry within the Episcopal Church.  For example, choir dress for clergy in the Episcopal Church requires a black preaching scarf upon which are (sometimes, depending on individual taste) tippet seals or arms are sewed to show clerical's seminary and/or diocese.  

The flags of the University of the South on full display inside All Saints' Chapel during a lecture.  Source: The University of the South.

In 2014, I rendered all the arms at Sewanee as flag and posted those drawings to this blog.  Enter The Rev. Robertson "Rob" C. Donehue T'16.  I truly suspected that no one in the world would ever read my posts here, but I was wrong.  At the time, Rob was a seminarian at the School of Theology and saw my post, sparking conversations about Sewanee's heraldry.  Rob's passion for Sewanee's heraldry, along with his savy leadership, brought my humble sketches into reality.  My dream of seeing Sewanee's heraldry come alive and "fly," was simply made possible by Rob.  By the university's Easter 2016 commencement, all three banners were up and flying (The Sewanee Purple, April 16, 2016, website).  Please click here to read The Sewanee Purple's article.  I am incredibly thankful for Father Rob and the work he did as a seminarian to make all this possible.  To this day, we still correspond about these very topics.  

The armorial flags of the University of the South and its schools.
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024.  Click image to enlarge.

In 2018, the graduating class of seminarians gave the seminary a gift of the school's arms rendered as a banner for processions.

The graduating class of 2018 pictured with the new banner.  Source:  The University of the South.

And perhaps most exciting of all, in the fall of 2022, the St. Luke's Community (the name for the student body association for the seminary) announced through Facebook that signet rings and pendants bearing the seminary's arms would be available for purchase.  Through a collaboration with a local Tennessee jeweler, Mr. Jim Woodard of Woodard's Diamonds and Design, two seminarians (now ordained), The Rev. Garron Daniels T'23 and The Rev. Suz Southern T'23 helped make the seminary's arms more tangible through this creative project.  Huzzah!  

A new project brought to life by The Rev. Garron Daniels T'23 and The Rev. Suz Southern T'23.  Source: School of Theology Facebook page.

It is so exciting to see these heraldic developments at my alma mater.  The School of Theology is truly a special place.  These armorial bearings mean more to me than simply good heraldry.  Memories, lessons learned, and the people who came into my life there, forever changed me.  I will never be able to pay back the debt I owe to the School of Theology, save winning the lottery.  I am a proud M.Div. graduate, and though my career in higher education philanthropy is so far removed from ordained ministry, I lean heavily on my formation from Sewanee each and every day.  I'll simply close with the fight song:

"Tiger, Tiger,

Leave 'em in the lurch.

Down with the heathen

And up with the Church

Ye-aa-ah, Sewanee's right"

Works Cited

Emerson, R.W. (1983).  Ralph Waldo Emerson: Essays and lectures.  Literary Classics of the United States, Inc.

McCrady, J.W. (2009).  Evolution of the university’s arms. In G.L. Smith & S.R. Williamson (Eds.),  Sewanee Perspectives: On the history of the University of the South.  The University of the South.

McCrady, J. W. (1983).  After 125 years completing the university's heraldry. Sewanee News, vol 49(1), 30.