Solved: An Official Blazon for Tift College

The armorial ensigns of Tift College in Forsyth, Georgia.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic I found myself going down deep research holes regarding US scholastic arms.  One of the more interesting finds were the arms of Tift College which was located in Forsyth, Georgia.  Tift closed in 1987 and absorbed by Mercer University, and at the time finding detailed information in Mercer's archives yielded little.    

I kept running into one major problem.  Based on the best emblazonment of Tift's arms that I could find, the tincture for the chief remained unclear.  Vert or azure, I wondered.  I shared my data in the newly created Scholastic Heraldry group on Facebook in hopes that someone may have an answer.  Well, things got even more confusing.  My colleague from the American Heraldry Society, Joseph McMillan, shared an emblazonment he discovered in the files of the US Army's Institute of Heraldry--the rendering showed Gules for the chief.  So, which was the final adopted version of Tift's arms?  We agreed that without an official blazon for these arms we may likely never know.  

Perhaps an early draft of Tift's arms,
courtesy of Mr. Joseph McMillan.

According to Stone (1969), the arms of Tift College were designed by Col. Harry D. Temple (1911-2004) in 1965 (173).  Somewhere I learned that Temple had a daughter enrolled at Tift which likely explains his involvement.  Temple was simply a force in US heraldry during the mid to late 20th Century, making countless contributions to the cause for clear and smart heraldry.  Towards the end of his career in the US Army, Temple led its Institute of Heraldry and was later appointed to the Episcopal Church's Advisory Committee on Heraldry in 1983 (Wright, 2005).  A commemoration of Temple's life and work was published by his alma mater, Virginia Tech.  The article notes that not only did Temple design the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but rendered countless arms and designs for organizations:

"Temple also designed 42 coats of arms in the National Cathedral in Washington and the coat of arms for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, which was the first officially granted coat of arms from the Army to a unit outside the regular Army, National Guard, or Army Reserve. He shepherded it through the process to become officially registered with the U.S. Office of Heraldry. According to Temple's own estimates, he designed between 200 and 300 coats of arms for schools, colleges, and churches" (Cox, 2004).

Recently, I was back in a deep rabbit hole researching armorial bearings possibly connected to Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) when I stumbled upon a copy of Tift College's yearbook from 1967.  Mercer University's Archives had since added this work to their Tift College collection.  Inside the Chiaroscuro, I discovered Temple's blazon and design rationale.  I was giddy with excitement.

Page snippet from Tift (1967) page 107.
Click to enlarge.

The following blazon for Tift College's arms is found on page 107 in Tift (1967), and from this document the chief's color is azure:

Shield: "Argent a cross sable with a maltese cross of the first, on a chief azure three roses or barbed vert."

Crest:  "On a wreath argent and sable a rising sun or charged with a sprig of oak fructed azure" (107).

From the rationale, its interesting to note the use of the maltese cross to symbolize St. John the Baptist while alluding to the College's ties to the Georgia Baptist Convention.  The golden roses in triplicate found on the blue chief represent three fundamentals espoused by the College: "development for usefulness in a democratic society, a high responsibility to establish the Christian family, a broad outlook for service" (Tift, 1967, 107).  Moreover, the roses represent the State of Georgia's official flower, the Cherokee Rose, while symbolizing, "gracious and blossoming young womanhood" (Tift, 1967, 107).

Problem solved.  Finding answers regarding corporate arms from closed institutions can be frustrating and rewarding at the same time.  I am thankful for Mercer University's ongoing work to preserve Tift College's history and legacy in US higher education.  As more documents are digitized and made accessible through the Internet, future discoveries--such as Tift's blazon--will add to our knowledge and understanding of the American heraldic tradition.

Works Cited

Cox, C. (2004 Feb 25). Designer of Nation's Presidential Medal of Freedom Dies.  Virginia Tech News.  https://news.vt.edu/articles/2004/02/2004-202.html

Tift College (1967).  Chiaroscuro [yearbook].  The Chiaroscuro Collections, Special Collections and University Archives, Mercer University, Macon, GA.  http://hdl.handle.net/10898/10928 

Stone, E.W. (1969).  Yesterday at Tift.  Foote & Davies.

Wright, J.R. (2005 May 26).  Heraldry of the American Episcopal Church [Lecture summary].  New York Genealogical and Biographical Society.  https://silo.tips/download/heraldry-of-the-american-episcopal-church

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.

Of Ships and Mitres: Kipling and the American Herald

 

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936).
Image source: Wikipedia.

The English novelist and poet Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) might seem an unlikely source of inspiration for the American herald Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941), and I would have believed so until I happened upon Scott-Giles (1970) article revealing a heraldic side of the well-known author.  More importantly, Scott-Giles' (1970) article illustrated a coat of arms containing a bordure with eight charges, and this image immediately brought to mind a design by la Rose created two years following Kipling's article.    

As I considered the possibility of the English writer's influence on la Rose, I began connecting several data points which utterly shocked me.  Both were writers, for beginners.  La Rose taught English for several years at Harvard and published a book on the American-British writer Henry James (1843-1916), a colleague in the same category of Kipling (La Rose, 1921).  While I have no information regarding la Rose's appreciation of Kipling, the probability most certainly exists as well as the likely impact World War I had on both.  

While the "war to end all wars" raged across the European continent, Kipling published an article in The Spectator on November 3, 1917, using the style and language from the 17th Century heraldic writer John Guillim (c.1565-1621).  Appropriately titled, "A Displaie of New Heraldrie," Kipling furthered his reference by playing upon the name of Gillim's masterpiece, "A Display of Heraldry" (Kipling, 1917, November 3).  The timing and subject of Kipling's article would most assuredly pique la Rose's interest, as the herald quoted Gillim's heraldic maxims--simplicitas formae antiquitatis nota, for example--extensively in letters to his clients.        

According to Scott-Giles (1970), Kipling's article suggested heraldic augmentations to the arms of those nations within the British Empire to symbolically commemorate their sacrifices made during the war.

"He [Kipling] devised a number of coats representing the various theatres of war, with the idea that each state within the Empire should add to its arms an escutcheon on which would be marshalled the coats appropriate to the fronts on which its troops had fought, within a bordure azure charged with gold lymphads" (Scott-Giles, 1970, 23).    

Kipling's recommendation for a blue bordure charged with golden ships caught my attention.  Perhaps it is mere coincidence in seeing Scott-Giles' rendering (see below) of the bordure based on Kipling's article when considering la Rose's use of the same for a corporate coat two years later.  Nonetheless, Kipling provides the underlying purpose for his bordure: 

"I would charge upon her proper Armes an Escocheon, or Shield of Pretence bordured blew of the sea and sown (the bordure, I mean) with as manie Lymphads or little Ships as be Nations of our Empire" (Kipling, 1917, November 3).

The old English from Kipling's article is quite arresting given the posh style of the London-based magazine, and the novelist's rationale for the ships within the bordure makes heraldic sense.  

My view is that la Rose did read Kipling (1917 November 3) and was likely intrigued by the novelist's heraldic proposal and chuffed by Kipling's playful imitation of Gillim.  We know la Rose was a voracious reader and anything heraldry-related would have quickly appeared on his radar.  Furthermore, the herald's French lineage may have stirred a sense of pride for France.  As World War I concluded on November 11, 1918, the world would not forget the devastation of human lives as the price for peace.  

La Rose offers a glimpse into the war years at Harvard in his class report, where reportedly the class secretary had to track him down for an update:

"I'm sorry to send you such meager data so late. There's little or nothing to add to my 1915 report, as during the intervening 'War' years those of us who were not in active service couldn't travel and had to stay put. I remember chiefly that my quarters here in Cambridge were a frequent place of rendezvous for French officers and others passing through on their duties, and that my own activities were largely the translation of military French. 

"Your telegram this morning reminds me of the days when Colonel Azan's grey car used to stand outside the door, his orderly waiting to grab ' copy ' from me and rush it off to Boston" (Harvard College Class of 1895, 1920, 419).

Through la Rose's account of his years at Harvard during the war, it is entirely possible the herald knew officers and soldiers who might have been killed or wounded in action.  With all this data in mind, let's compare these two coats.     

Scott-Giles' rendering based on Kipling's descriptions,
appearing in Scott-Giles (1970) page 23.

Scott-Giles (1970) places eight golden ships on the blue bordure for Kipling's desire to show the number of nations within the British Empire engaged during the war.  The blue bordure and eight charges may likely be a key influence when considering la Rose's first design commission for a national organization of the Episcopal Church.

In 1919, la Rose devised a new corporate coat for The National Student Council of the Episcopal Church (National Student Council of the Episcopal Church, 1920 March, 12).  Because the national church lacked arms, much less any unifying national symbol at this point, la Rose created such a symbol using a blue bordure charged with eight white/silver bishop's mitres.  

The arms of the National Student Council of the Episcopal Church,
designed by la Rose in 1919 and appearing in Morehouse (1941), page 27.

The blazon for the arms of the National Student Council: Argent, a cross throughout gules cotised azure, over all an open book bound and edged with two clasps or thereon inscribed PRO CHRISTO PER ECCLESIAM, and on a bordure azure eight bishop's mitres argent.

Additionally, la Rose would employ the same blue bordure containing eight white/silver bishop's mitres in his proposed design for the national Episcopal Church in 1921.  To read more about la Rose's work with the Episcopal Church, please click here.

In the absence of la Rose's rationale for the student council's arms, eight miters probably references the number of provinces--or regional groups of dioceses--of the Episcopal Church at that time.  Numbering the provinces is one method to show national cohesion for a church lacking unifying symbols. Conversely, la Rose's final design for the national Episcopal Church itself adopted in 1940 used nine cross crosslets to show the number of founding dioceses of the Church.  Without hard facts, the rationale for the number eight is an educated guess.  

Based on collected data, by 1919 the herald counted 76 designs for corporate arms within his growing heraldic portfolio, and not one contains a bordure.  The corporate coat outlier for the National Student Council has always confused me since uncovering it in 2020.  Now with Scott-Giles (1970) we may have an explanation.      

Initially I believed the blue bordure was la Rose's way of showing cadency, a method used in Scottish heraldry.  After reading Scott-Giles (1970), I believe the bordure was a subtle nod to Kipling (1917 November 3) while honoring the sacrifices of war.  That this corporate coat would be used to identify college students working on behalf of the Episcopal Church would further this rationale to honor those young lives lost.  

For now, I am at peace with this connection between Kipling and la Rose and the plausible explanation for the herald's use of the bordure in two Episcopal corporate coats.  I readily admit that perhaps all of this is merely coincidental.  However, la Rose was an esthete and saw the world through the lens of abstraction, where symbols hold power in conveying messages of hope, peace, and identity. 

Works Cited

Harvard College Class of 1895. (1920).  Twenty-fifth anniversary report.  Harvard University Press.

Kipling, R. (1917 November 3).  A displaie of new heraldrie.  The Kipling Society.    https://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/tale/a-displaie-of-new-heraldrie.htm

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1921).  Notes and reviews by Henry James.  Dunster House.  

Morehouse, C.P. (Ed.) (1941 September).  The Layman's Magazine of the Living Church, 20, 27.

National Student Council of the Episcopal Church (1920 March).  1919 annual report of the National Student Council, bulletin 6.  National Student Council of the Episcopal Church.

Scott-Giles, C.W. (1970).  Kipling as an armorist.  The Coat of Arms, 11(81), 23-24.