[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 93 (Wednesday, June 6, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S3029]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                      REMEMBERING WILLIAM T. KERR

 Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize Mr. 
William T. Kerr and his contributions to the creation of Flag Day. His 
passion for the flag spurred a lifetime pursuit to establish a national 
holiday to honor it.
  Mr. Kerr grew up in Pittsburgh and established himself in Yeadon, PA. 
After hearing the stories of sacrifice and patriotism during the Civil 
War, Mr. Kerr garnered a unique appreciation for the flag of the United 
States.
  In 1888, Mr. Kerr established the American Flag Day Association, an 
organization committed to promoting patriotism and respect for the flag 
on a national scale and establishing Flag Day on June 14. In Mr. Kerr's 
capacity as the president of the American Flag Day Association, a 
position he held for five decades, he met with nine Presidents and 
wrote countless letters to Senators, Members of Congress, Governors, 
and local officials to petition for Flag Day to be celebrated on June 
14.
  Mr. Kerr's activism inspired several leaders, including President 
Woodrow Wilson, who went on to proclaim June 14 as National Flag Day on 
May 30, 1916, and General Douglas MacArthur, who wrote a letter to Mr. 
Kerr in 1947, citing reverence and honor in the flag itself. Though 
Congress initially failed to submit legislation to President Wilson 
supporting the proclamation to recognize the holiday, three decades 
later, Congress passed a bill formally declaring June 14 as National 
Flag Day. On August 3, 1949, President Harry S. Truman, with Mr. Kerr 
standing next to him, signed the Flag Day bill into law, formally 
declaring June 14 as National Flag Day.
  I commend Mr. Kerr on his commitment to creating a day to honor the 
flag. Pennsylvanians are renowned for their hard work, dedication, 
perseverance, and patriotism, and Mr. Kerr is an excellent example of 
that assessment. Mr. Kerr's legacy has lived on, especially in the 
small farm town of Yeadon, where the town celebrates Flag Day as an 
all-day affair.

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