By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — The 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Town Flag was recognized Monday night by the Select Board as an occasion to thank those who created it — a troop of Girl Scouts between 10 and 12 years of age at the time.
During the past half century, the gold flag with green details has quietly stood alongside the American flag and the Massachusetts flag in the official meeting room of the Select Board.
Monday night, the former leader of Girl Scout Troop #293 Mrs. Sylvia Maio presented an overview of how the Town Flag came into existence in the year leading up to its adoption by the voters at Town Meeting half a century ago. Also in attendance were Mrs. Jean Germino, who had served as Assistant Troop Leader, and three former members of the troop, Donna (Germino) Emery, Teri (Maio) Morrow and Paula Graham-Dwyer. All were given an enthusiastic round of applause by the board members and those in attendance at the Select Board meeting.
It took the girls a full year to complete the project, Mrs. Maio told the board, when they began their research in the fall of 1973, went through the process of getting it onto the Town Meeting warrant to have the design approved and raising the funds to have it made, then presenting it to the town.
“When the Girl Scout Council was making plans for Expo ’74, it was suggested that we have a parade and all the troops would have their town flag. If no town flag, would the town like one designed? Our troop volunteered to have it made as there was no flag at the time. The Town Administrator at the time, Mr. (Paul) Rabchenuk, liked the idea of the town flag and that if the girls designed it and presented it to the town it would be a great civic project for them to work on,” she said.
“After talking to town officials and members of some organizations and among ourselves, the following symbols were suggested: Town Seal, Building on the Common, Tree on the Common, Putnam House, Outline of the Town. At our meetings we discussed many times all of the above ideas, colors to use, cost of the flag, how it would be manufactured, and so forth. In designing the flag the leaders thought it would be useful for the girls to know the history of the town, and the history and use of flags, and the girls researched these,” she said.
The colors chosen by the girls were the school colors, yellow and green,” she added.
After thoroughly researching the town’s history, according to a story archived in the pages of the North Reading Transcript and recalled by Mrs. Maio, the troop designed the gold flag with a green triangle in the center. Inside the triangle they created a silhouette of the Great Oak on the Town Common. This symbol was chosen because the Great Oak signifies “strength, endurance and life.” On each side of the triangle, also in green, appears a significant year in the town’s history — 1651 is the date that the land north of the Ipswich River was granted to the town of Reading; 1713 is the date of the establishment of the North Parish and when its first Moderator was elected; and 1853 is the date of incorporation of the Town of North Reading. At the base of the triangle, in large block letters, the words “North Reading” appear in green.
“The Great Oak at that time was believed to be over 300 years old,” Mrs. Maio told the board, adding that, “We leaders decided that the girls should earn a badge for all their work in making the flag so they all earned ‘Our Own Town Flag Badge.’”
“In 1998, 24 years after the flag was designed, made and presented to the town, Representative Brad Jones had another town flag made and, together with Mrs. Germino and me, presented the North Reading Town Flag to State House officials for display in the Great Hall which houses the city and town flags of the Commonwealth. If you are in Boston, do drop into the State House and find our flag in the Hall of Flags,” she said.
Mrs. Maio explained that all of the documents Girl Scout Troop #293 had gathered about their creation of the Town Flag, including a handwritten booklet, were given to the Children’s Librarian at that time, Mrs. Frederick Neth. At that time, the town’s library was housed in the Damon Tavern and known as the Weeks Memorial Library. Five years ago, when Mrs. Maio returned to live in North Reading, after having lived in Wilmington for many years, she inquired about the documents, which would now being housed at the Flint Memorial Library across the street.
After much digging by current staff, Mrs. Maio was happy to report that the documents were located in the town’s Local History Room and are available for viewing for posterity.
At the time the flag was adopted, current Select Board member Steve O’Leary was overseeing his second Town Meeting as Town Moderator, having been elected to the post the previous September at age 19 and presiding over his first Town Meeting in October 1973.
“I remember when. I was there when it happened. It was a tremendous gift then and it’s still here and you’re here to tell us about it and remind some of the newcomers as to what took place and what the girls did; and Jean (Germino) and her husband Bob and what they’ve done for the community over the years,” O’Leary recalled.
“What the Girl Scouts did then, the town was excited about because the town didn’t have a flag,” O’Leary said. The townspeople had wondered why the town didn’t have one once the matter was raised.
“It came from your leadership and the girls’ imaginations, and they chose an iconic tree on the common, which is still standing today and we take great care of because it means so much. It is a symbol of our community in the center of our town, and memorialized on the flag right here 50 years later. Even that, in and of itself, is phenomenal that the tree has been able to survive this long,” O’Leary said.
Select Board Chairwoman Liane Gonzalez said, “I was a Girl Scout, my mom was a leader, I was a leader, and we actually went to the State House and saw the flag! You gave kudos to your girls but I’ll give kudos to you as a leader. It is not an easy thing to do and it sounds like you were an amazing leader.”
“I think it’s fantastic to hear the history. It’s such a creative project to create a piece of the town’s history and all meaning behind it,” Select Board member Kate Manupelli said, adding, “That we have an archival record of it that was hand-written by the producers of the flag, I think it’s pretty wonderful. I’m glad that you came in to explain this to us 50 years later. Most people don’t know how this originated and what it symbolizes.”
Select Board member Vincenzo Stuto said the information provided by Mrs. Maio about the Town Flag and its history is very helpful for the newer residents of town. “It’s not like you move into North Reading and someone says, ‘hey, let me tell you about this.’ It brings you up to speed on what the town was about,” Stuto said.
Select Board member Rich Wallner thanked the troop for creating something more productive than his Boy Scout troop had ever done when he was a kid.
O’Leary added, “And 25 years ago, when you brought it to the State House, some of us said, ‘we have a flag – a flag! Let’s get another flag made. Why isn’t it hanging in the Great Hall?”
“I really appreciate that you are doing something for the 50th anniversary of the flag. The girls worked really hard to do this and they were like 10 and 11, and my daughter turned 12 a month before it was adopted, so the oldest ones were 12,” Mrs. Maio said.
Girl Scout Troop #293 members in 1973-74 included: Beth Adamy, Nancy Angelini, Susan Angelini, Marcia Berndston, Maryellen Collins, Linda Eisenhower, Becky Jones, Donna Germino, Paula Graham, Lisa MacMillan, Teri Maio, Leigh Mitchie, Donna Oliver, Mary Ellen Russo, Stephanie Wardrop, Karen Naugle and Marianne Pike.
“It was a true gift back then and it’s a true gift today,” O’Leary said.