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Aboard the Discovery
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| Bethany Braley with the National Day of the Cowboy flag that later took a trip into space on the NASA shuttle, Discovery. (Carol Broeder/ARN) |
Bringing the old frontier into the new frontier: Cowboy flag is in space
By Carol Broeder/Arizona Range News
When NASA launched its space shuttle Discovery last Saturday, a $1 billion space lab, a pump for a broken toilet, a Buzz Lightyear doll, and the official flag of the National Day of the Cowboy from Willcox went with it.
"Bringing the old frontier into the new frontier," is the description given by Bethany Braley, executive director of the National Day of the Cowboy, which is headquartered in Willcox.
The flag was created by the 501(c) 3 organization in tandem with the passage of the first "Day of the Cowboy" resolution, which was sponsored in the U.S. Senate by the late Senator from Wyoming, Craig Thomas, she said.
"Since 2005, the Cowboy Day has passed three more consecutive times in the Senate. This year it is also expected to pass in the U.S. House of Representatives, thanks to Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords," Braley told the Range News.
Giffords and Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming coordinated their efforts and introduced the resolution simultaneously in February this year, she said.
The NDOC organization, which is in Giffords' district, approached her about being a sponsor for the resolution, as a number of historic Western landmarks, such as Willcox, Tombstone, and Bisbee, are in her district, Braley said.
"Giffords immediately accepted the challenge and her staff began working on updating the resolution for 2008," she said.
Giffords is the wife of Commander Mark Kelly, whom Braley calls the "trail boss" on the space shuttle mission.
The Cowboy Day flag traveling with Kelly bears the red, white, and blue logo of the NDOC organization, and the words, "Preserve the Heritage."
"It was designed to bring attention to the Cowboy Day resolution and to encourage its celebration and is meant to be a unifying symbol of all the individual elements of the Western heritage and Cowboy culture movement," Braley said.
In an environment that typically includes many flags, such as that of sponsors, vendors, organizations, states, and the Stars & Stripes, Braley realized that "no flag existed just for the cowboys and cowgirls themselves."
"Since its creation, the National Day of the Cowboy flag has continued to earn a place of honor as an external symbol of love for the myth and magic of Cowboy culture and as a cherished sign of devotion to that culture," said Braley, adding that the flag "now flies in 20 states and four countries, including England, and in Iraq and Afghanistan with a group of soldiers who call themselves the 'Desert Cowboys.'"
"When Giffords learned of the flag's proliferation, she immediately noted that 'it hadn't gone up in space yet,' and happily offered to see outer space added to its list of flying locations," she said.
"When I was in Willcox the last time, I talked to some residents about National Day of the Cowboy legislation," Giffords said Friday.
"Willcox is an amazing community - the people are down-to-earth, hard-working, and very patriotic."
"The West has a cowboy spirit - a pioneer spirit - that we can all identify with. Visitors coming to America from Europe and Asia want to visit the West."
Giffords said that when she heard all the places the cowboy flag had flown, she realized the one place it had not flown is outer space.
"Now it's circling the globe every 90 minutes, even as we speak, going 17, 500 miles per hour," she told the Range News.
"Silver may have been a fast horse, but this steed is going Mach 25."
Giffords said that though she and Kelly live in two different states, "Mark comes to visit me in Arizona frequently."
"He's spent quite a bit of time in Tombstone, Willcox, and Bisbee," she said. "He loves the West. He grew up in New Jersey, but he loves the West."
"We all love the great open spaces in the West," said Giffords, adding that the cowboy flag is right now "in the greatest open space of them all."
The flag now aboard the space shuttle will return to Earth on Saturday, June 14, which is Flag Day, Giffords noted.
And while she acknowledges that is a holiday specifically dedicated to the American flag, it seems appropriate for the cowboy flag as well.
"A flag is an international sign of recognition," Giffords said.
"Displaying the cowboy flag continues to build a visual connection among cowboys and western heritage enthusiasts, but of course, only prominence and proliferation can build its stature and recognition," Braley explains.
"Sen. Craig Thomas took the first step toward building that stature when he presented the National Day of the Cowboy flag to the Cheyenne Frontier Days Committee on July 23, 2005, in Wyoming," she said.
"His wife, Susan, presented a second flag to the Cheyenne Frontier Days Volunteer Committee. Each subsequent year, the Thomas' has carried the cowboy flag in the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo parade on the fourth Saturday in July."
Braley said that a goal of the NDOC organization is to be able to report before the Fourth Annual National Day of the Cowboy on Saturday, July 26, "that the flag is flying in every state in the union and numerous countries around the world."
"They continue to work to encourage its adoption as a unifying symbol of the professional and the amateur, the sponsor and the participant; and all others who cherish, preserve and enjoy America's Western heritage," she said.
Giffords said the cowboy flag would be returned to Willcox along with documentation on how many hours and miles it has traveled.
Braley has already requested that Kelly autograph the cowboy flag before it comes home.
The Range News asked Giffords Friday if Kelly might have a message for Willcox-area residents.
Kelly e-mailed Giffords from space Saturday, saying, "Just flew over Willcox and it looked hot down there. Tell them to keep the horses hydrated."
He also asked who won the Belmont.
"It is great having the National Day of the Cowboy Headquarters here in Willcox. Having their flag flying on the space shuttle is a real benefit and I believe the next best thing to flying a flag that says, 'Willcox, AZ is a wonderful place,'" said Mayor Sam Lindsey.
"Any potential publicity by the National Day of the Cowboy, via flags or otherwise, brings important notice of the cowboy history of Willcox and the great place it is to live today. I appreciate your continued effort for National Day of the Cowboy and the impact it has on our city," he said.
By Carol Broeder/Arizona Range News
When NASA launched its space shuttle Discovery last Saturday, a $1 billion space lab, a pump for a broken toilet, a Buzz Lightyear doll, and the official flag of the National Day of the Cowboy from Willcox went with it.
"Bringing the old frontier into the new frontier," is the description given by Bethany Braley, executive director of the National Day of the Cowboy, which is headquartered in Willcox.
The flag was created by the 501(c) 3 organization in tandem with the passage of the first "Day of the Cowboy" resolution, which was sponsored in the U.S. Senate by the late Senator from Wyoming, Craig Thomas, she said.
"Since 2005, the Cowboy Day has passed three more consecutive times in the Senate. This year it is also expected to pass in the U.S. House of Representatives, thanks to Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords," Braley told the Range News.
Giffords and Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming coordinated their efforts and introduced the resolution simultaneously in February this year, she said.
The NDOC organization, which is in Giffords' district, approached her about being a sponsor for the resolution, as a number of historic Western landmarks, such as Willcox, Tombstone, and Bisbee, are in her district, Braley said.
"Giffords immediately accepted the challenge and her staff began working on updating the resolution for 2008," she said.
Giffords is the wife of Commander Mark Kelly, whom Braley calls the "trail boss" on the space shuttle mission.
The Cowboy Day flag traveling with Kelly bears the red, white, and blue logo of the NDOC organization, and the words, "Preserve the Heritage."
"It was designed to bring attention to the Cowboy Day resolution and to encourage its celebration and is meant to be a unifying symbol of all the individual elements of the Western heritage and Cowboy culture movement," Braley said.
In an environment that typically includes many flags, such as that of sponsors, vendors, organizations, states, and the Stars & Stripes, Braley realized that "no flag existed just for the cowboys and cowgirls themselves."
"Since its creation, the National Day of the Cowboy flag has continued to earn a place of honor as an external symbol of love for the myth and magic of Cowboy culture and as a cherished sign of devotion to that culture," said Braley, adding that the flag "now flies in 20 states and four countries, including England, and in Iraq and Afghanistan with a group of soldiers who call themselves the 'Desert Cowboys.'"
"When Giffords learned of the flag's proliferation, she immediately noted that 'it hadn't gone up in space yet,' and happily offered to see outer space added to its list of flying locations," she said.
"When I was in Willcox the last time, I talked to some residents about National Day of the Cowboy legislation," Giffords said Friday.
"Willcox is an amazing community - the people are down-to-earth, hard-working, and very patriotic."
"The West has a cowboy spirit - a pioneer spirit - that we can all identify with. Visitors coming to America from Europe and Asia want to visit the West."
Giffords said that when she heard all the places the cowboy flag had flown, she realized the one place it had not flown is outer space.
"Now it's circling the globe every 90 minutes, even as we speak, going 17, 500 miles per hour," she told the Range News.
"Silver may have been a fast horse, but this steed is going Mach 25."
Giffords said that though she and Kelly live in two different states, "Mark comes to visit me in Arizona frequently."
"He's spent quite a bit of time in Tombstone, Willcox, and Bisbee," she said. "He loves the West. He grew up in New Jersey, but he loves the West."
"We all love the great open spaces in the West," said Giffords, adding that the cowboy flag is right now "in the greatest open space of them all."
The flag now aboard the space shuttle will return to Earth on Saturday, June 14, which is Flag Day, Giffords noted.
And while she acknowledges that is a holiday specifically dedicated to the American flag, it seems appropriate for the cowboy flag as well.
"A flag is an international sign of recognition," Giffords said.
"Displaying the cowboy flag continues to build a visual connection among cowboys and western heritage enthusiasts, but of course, only prominence and proliferation can build its stature and recognition," Braley explains.
"Sen. Craig Thomas took the first step toward building that stature when he presented the National Day of the Cowboy flag to the Cheyenne Frontier Days Committee on July 23, 2005, in Wyoming," she said.
"His wife, Susan, presented a second flag to the Cheyenne Frontier Days Volunteer Committee. Each subsequent year, the Thomas' has carried the cowboy flag in the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo parade on the fourth Saturday in July."
Braley said that a goal of the NDOC organization is to be able to report before the Fourth Annual National Day of the Cowboy on Saturday, July 26, "that the flag is flying in every state in the union and numerous countries around the world."
"They continue to work to encourage its adoption as a unifying symbol of the professional and the amateur, the sponsor and the participant; and all others who cherish, preserve and enjoy America's Western heritage," she said.
Giffords said the cowboy flag would be returned to Willcox along with documentation on how many hours and miles it has traveled.
Braley has already requested that Kelly autograph the cowboy flag before it comes home.
The Range News asked Giffords Friday if Kelly might have a message for Willcox-area residents.
Kelly e-mailed Giffords from space Saturday, saying, "Just flew over Willcox and it looked hot down there. Tell them to keep the horses hydrated."
He also asked who won the Belmont.
"It is great having the National Day of the Cowboy Headquarters here in Willcox. Having their flag flying on the space shuttle is a real benefit and I believe the next best thing to flying a flag that says, 'Willcox, AZ is a wonderful place,'" said Mayor Sam Lindsey.
"Any potential publicity by the National Day of the Cowboy, via flags or otherwise, brings important notice of the cowboy history of Willcox and the great place it is to live today. I appreciate your continued effort for National Day of the Cowboy and the impact it has on our city," he said.
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