Flag Day Means a Little Something to Donovan

To get a good view of the American flag on Flag Day – which is today, June 14th – local businessman Bill Donovan only has to look up.

Sitting right above his business, The Repair Shop on Seaview Avenue, is a quick, Patriotic symbol that he fashioned and built immediately after learning of the Sept. 11th attacks in 2001.

Attached to the telephone pole above his shop are two PVC pipes and a fluttering flag.

“I’ve had Old Glory flying up there on top of the phone pole since 9/11,” said Donovan. “I put it up in response to 9/11 and didn’t know it would be there this long, but I just kept going with it. Since then I’ve had to get 18 new flags to replace the ones that get worn out.”

Initially, Donovan said he just attached the flag to the PVC piping that he installed to the top of the pole.

That meant he had to climb a ladder all the way up to the top when he needed to change it.

“I had to climb up a set of ladders every time I had to tend it,” he said. “Initially when I put it up I wasn’t thinking about it getting beat to death, so I didn’t put in a halyard. A little while later, I decided to put on a halyard and make things easier on myself.”

And so far, the flag has become a welcomed member of the neighborhood.

“All the neighbors have commented about how much they like it,” said Donovan. “It was something I just thought of quickly after the attacks. It’s been up there now since 9/11 and it’s there today. I don’t think it’s going anywhere anytime soon.”