Man Showcases Flags Of Neighbors Heritage For Deeper Purposes

By Michael Abeyta

DENVER (CBS4) – Tom Fesing lives in Denver’s East Colfax neighborhood — an area he really loves.

“We have one of the largest most diverse neighborhoods in all of the nation.”

Fesing also loves studying flags. “The hobby is called vexillology. It’s actually a science.”

He got his first flag in the 80s when he was an Eagle Scout.

“It was an American flag flown over the U.S. capital.”

It wasn’t until this summer when both of his passions merged together.

“I wanted to start collecting the flags and showcasing the flags of where my neighbors are from,” he said. “I didn’t know I was a vexillologist until I started down this path.”

Fesing loves the symbolism of flags.

“Symbols are important. We have the mailman. He’s from northern Sudan. I got a north Sudan flag and he thought that was fantastic. He sent it to all his friends in Sudan.”

Even though Fesing loves collecting and displaying flags, to him, all of it has a deeper purpose.

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“To me these flags represent the people more than the politics. Because most people throughout the nation are from somewhere. Whether it’s them personally or their parents or great grandparents. So it’s more important than ever to know who our neighbors are from around the world and connect. We probably have a lot in common.”

Michael Abeyta is a 4th generation Coloradan and a Multimedia Journalist for CBS4. His stories can be seen on CBS4 News at 5 & 6. He is on Twitter! Follow him @AbeytaCBS4.