Weird but true story about Indy city flag

You see it everywhere — on poles, on city trucks, on millenials' T-shirts.

It's the Indianapolis flag. It goes back to the time John Kennedy was president and has been lauded as the 8th-best city flag in the nation by no less than the flag experts at the North American Vexillological Association

But — and, in all these years, this has not been reported — the flag looks not as its designer intended it to look. It's significantly different.

Roger Gohl was an 18-year-old Herron Art School student from LaGrange County in northern Indiana when he entered a flag design contest sponsored by the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce. Indianapolis already had a flag but the city leaders thought it was old fashioned. It was designed, by committee, in 1915. By vexillological standards, it wasn't much of a flag. It delved too deeply into symbolism — for instance, the Board of Public Works had its own star.

By 1962, Gohl's freshman year, Indianapolis wanted to be modern and so needed a modern flag.

Gohl entered the flag contest because his instructor made him, and his classmates, enter it, and also because he needed the money. The winning design paid $50.

Gohl won. His design looked like today's flag except for one key thing: it was asymetrical; the white lines intersected clearly left of center.

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Gohl cashed the check, spent the money and soon after moved to California where he finished his education and embarked on what would be a successful career as a designer. He lives in Oxnard. He is 73. He is retired from designing but lately began making high-end bottleneck slides for guitar players. One of his customers is Nels Cline of the band Wilco.

After he left Indianapolis, in 1963, Gohl didn't think much about Indianapolis' flag until he returned to the city for a visit in 1969, saw the flag flying over the City-County Building and photographed it. The flag didn't look quite right. Someone had centered the white lines — "behind my back," he said.

He didn't sweat it, never demanded an explanation.

It's unclear what happened, or exactly when it happened, or who made it happen.

It doesn't much matter to Gohl. He remains proud of the flag even in its altered state — "It's still a strong flag," he said.

Contact Star reporter Will Higgins at (317) 444-6043. Follow him on Twitter @WillRHiggins.