Our history and ties to the Oklahoma State Flag
Mrs. Etta Rogers Fluke, wife of A.J. Fluke, was the organizing chapter regent of the DAR chapter in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Sadly, Mrs. Fluke died three days before the chapter was "officially" organized on May 19, 1924.
Mrs. Fluke's daughter-in-law, Louise Funk Fluke, was the designer of the state flag of Oklahoma. Not yet a member of the DAR and busy preparing for her upcoming wedding, Louise, a young Shawnee artist, was encouraged by her mother and her fiancé, George Fluke, to enter the State Flag Contest through the Wunagisa Chapter. George knew how important the flag project was to the DAR. His mother had led out in organizing the chapter and Louise's mother, Nancy Sloan Funk, was a charter member.
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The Oklahoma state flag is one of the most beautiful in the United States. Louise Fluke's design is of a sky blue field with a circular, rawhide shield of an Osage Indian warrior, decorated with six painted crosses, symbols of stars. The lower half of the shield was fringed with seven pendant eagle feathers. Superimposed upon the face of the shield is a calumet or peace pipe crossed at right angles by an olive branch. The blue field of the flag signifies loyalty and devotion. The shield implies protective warfare, when justifiable, but always subservient to the peace pipe and olive branch which show a predominant love of peace by a united people.
The Oklahoma State Legislature adopted Louise Fluke's design in 1925. The Wunagisa chapter had the wonderful opportunity to share in this flag-design award.
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After their marriage, George and Louise moved to Ponca City, Oklahoma, where Louise became a member of the Ponca City Chapter in 1928. The Wunagisa Chapter has plans for marking the gravesites of these important women with our DAR insignia.
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Hyperlinks to other sites are not the responsibility of the NSDAR, the state organizations, or individual DAR chapters.