Benny Benson designed the official Alaska Territory flag. He did so as a class project which was to enter the flag designing contest open to Alaskan children from seventh to twelfth grade. Alaska had not yet become a US state.

At the time Benny and his brother were living in an orphanage (the Jesse Lee Home for Children) because their mother died, and their father could not take care of them. Benny’s design included the group of stars he searched for every night before going to sleep. Benny submitted his design with his description, “The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaskan flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly in the union. The Dipper is for the Great Bear – symbolizing strength.”

Benny’s design was chosen from approximately 700 submissions. He was awarded a gold watch with an inscription and a picture of the flag on the back. Benny also received a $1,000 scholarship which he used years later to attend an engineering school.

In January 1959, thirty-two years after Benny designed the flag, Alaska Territory became the 49th state of the United States. The Benny Benson Memorial and Benny Benson Memorial Park in Seward, Alaska were created in his honor, as was Benson Boulevard, and an airport.
(Alaska: 1927)