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These
colors
don’t run,
but they
do retire

PHOTO BY ANNE MARSHALL

The box for retired flags was the brainchild of Larry Fey (right), but it was Jane Bonk (left) and other members of the Woodwork-
ers Club who made the idea a reality. You can find the box in the lobby of the Sun City Texas Social Center.

By Maureen Griffin In 2015, while working at the monitor’s and the CA labeled it. The Woodworkers
desk, Fey took a flag from a resident and Club donated the box to the communi-
What do you do when your placed it under the counter along with ty. Bonk said there were three reasons
United States flag has lost its a number of other surrendered flags. they wanted to do this. “One: The flags
former glory? This might not He glanced at the resident and noticed needed an appropriate place to rest until
be a problem for some communities, but a look that gave Fey pause. “He didn’t they were picked up. Two: People needed
in one as patriotic as Sun City Texas, it say anything, but he looked, I don’t an appropriate place for the transition.
appears to be a significant issue. know, bothered. It was like he expected Three: The Woodworkers Club really
something more dignified, and he was likes to respond to requests like these
In 2003, resident Larry Fey (N9) was right.” Fey resolved to find a more re- from the CA.” Since creating the holding
working the monitor’s desk at the Texas spectful way to hold the flags pending box, Fey noted the number of flags has
Drive Social Center. He was approached retirement. During the same shift, Fey increased from one per month to a full
by a resident inquiring whether Sun noticed Jane Bonk (N34), president of box (approximately 20 or more) almost
City had a method of retiring United the Sun City Woodworkers Club in the every month.
States flags too worn or damaged to be building. Fey shared his thoughts with
displayed. Fey wasn’t aware of any, so Bonk, and within a couple of weeks, she The Sun City Kiwanis Club monitors the
he asked the CA and a program was es- arrived with a wooden box suitable for box and delivers the flags to the Veterans
tablished. Over the following years, resi- display in the lobby, providing an ap- of Foreign Wars Post 8587 on College
dents brought their flags to the Social propriate holding place for flags until Street in Georgetown. The VFW periodi-
Center where they were held until they collected. The box was made by club cally holds retirement ceremonies where-
were picked up by a local Eagle Scout members Don Webster (N3) and Bob in the flags are destroyed by burning in
troop that held retirement ceremonies Freeman (N31). Bonk painted the box a dignified manner. Randy Downing at
for them. the VFW said, “We have to be careful

58 | SUNRAYS SEPTEMBER 2017 ONLINE: SCTEXAS.ORG