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Hosts Liz Morris and Bill LuMaye interview Kelly C. Hyke, owner of Hyke Funeral Home in Redfield, South Dakota, who spent 18 years in law enforcement before switching to mortuary science and buying the funeral home with his wife Bonnie in 2015. Kelly explains how flying American and service flags began as a simple thank-you—especially to veterans—and grew into a widely noticed community tradition, including honoring law enforcement, fire, EMS, and organ donors, and adding U.S. and state flags inside the chapel. He describes his process for veteran services and how the flags prompt healing conversations and public support. In the “Flags of Change” segment, Heather discusses the Earth Day flag, its Apollo “Blue Marble” imagery, its origins with John McConnell and Senator Gaylord Nelson, and how the symbol helped rally environmental action leading to the EPA.
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
01:27 From Police to Funeral Director
05:30 Compassion in Two Callings
07:49 Coping With Grief Daily
10:27 Why Fly the Flag
12:28 Veteran Honors and Rituals
15:14 Families Reactions and Healing
18:38 Expanding Flags for Service
20:32 Organ Donor Flag Added
23:00 Bringing Flags Into Chapel
25:11 Handling Criticism and Values
26:51 Small Town Tradition Spreads
31:18 Lessons and Advice to Others
34:08 Wife Support and Future Plans
35:56 Closing Thanks and 250th Flag
37:47 Flags of Change Earth Day Flag
38:33 Earth Flag Origins Blue Marble
39:58 Earth Day Movement Impact
41:27 Why Earth Flag Isnt Common
42:50 New Space Images Unite Us
44:20 Final Sign Off
Creators and Guests
What is Freedom and Glory - Tales of American Spirit?
Welcome to Freedom and Glory: Tales of American Spirit—a podcast celebrating the heart of American craftsmanship, resilience, self-reliance, and the power of disruption. Through inspiring stories and authentic storytelling, we shine a spotlight on individuals and communities who embody these values, proving that small, determined efforts can spark meaningful change.
Join us as we share personal tales of triumph, innovation, and hope—moments that define the American spirit and shape our nation’s identity. Whether you’re seeking motivation to pursue your dreams or a reminder of the power of community, Freedom and Glory offers a powerful dose of inspiration rooted in resilience and determination.
Listen, be inspired, and take action.
[00:00:00] Speaker 2: Welcome to Freedom and Glory Tales of American Spirit where every flag tells a story, and so does every person who raises one join Liz Morris and Bill Lume for conversations with people making a difference in their communities, reminding us that even the smallest actions can spark lasting change.
[00:00:28] Liz and Bill: today we're joined by Kelly Heke, owner of Heke Funeral Home in Redfield, South Dakota. Kelly spent 18 years in law enforcement before answering a second calling mortuary science, and he and his wife Bonnie, bought their funeral home in 2015 and almost immediately they started flying flags.
And not for marketing purposes, just as a way of saying thank you. And 10 years later that tradition has grown into something, the whole community. Notices. And, um, Kelly, thank you so much for joining us. Welcome to Tales of American Spirit.
[00:01:06] Kelly Chyke: is an honor for me to be asked to come and visit with you and to share my story and, um, honor your company. That pro provides the American flags for so many, um, companies and people around this United State.
[00:01:23] Liz and Bill: Well. Thanks for saying that Kelly and the honors all mine. Seriously, I mean, to your, um, career, 18 years in law enforcement and then, you know, to, to turn around and go back to school for mortuary science. I mean, I just think that story is incredible. It's wild, it's inspiring. Um, what happened inside you to, made you, to make you say, you know, this is what, um, I'm supposed to do.
[00:01:53] Kelly Chyke: You know, it was, it was kind of a a different situation when I was in high school. Um, I actually worked at our local funeral home where I grew up at for two years. Um, back then it was before cell phones, before pagers, so somebody was always. I'm required to be at the funeral home to answer that phone when it rang to take the death call or, you know, answer any of the questions.
Um, and the owner of the funeral home back then, you know, obviously him and his wife, um, needed some time away and he, he said, you know, Kelly, would you just be willing to come to the funeral home and set and answer the phone, you know, so my wife and I can go out and have supper or go to a movie or, you know, do anything like that.
So I did that for two years. Um, and got into also going with him to do some removals. And you know, at the time I really thought that the funeral business was a business that I'd really like and wanted to go into. Um, at the same time, I had some great friends that I knew that were in law enforcement and they were like, you know, Kelly, why don't you come and do a ride along with us in on the police department just to see what that is like.
So I did one ride along and did a second ride along, and, you know, I kind of an adrenaline junkie. Um, the, the different day to day thing and all the lights and sirens and the excitement drew me to law enforcement. So I forgot about funeral business. Um, went to college, got my degree in criminal justice, went to the North Dakota Law Enforcement Training Academy and, um, came back and worked in law enforcement for 18 years.
Um. And, you know, I, I truly enjoyed the aspect of being a policeman, being there to help people in one of the most difficult times of their life. Um, and after 18 years getting married, having a few kids, um, I just felt that I wanted something that wasn't as dangerous and it was still you know, helping people that were in the time of need.
And I had always had that drive to go back to the funeral business. Um, obviously in the funeral business when we go to the cemetery or or when the funeral homes go to the cemetery, um, they asked for law enforcement to lead 'em through the busy intersection. So I got to know the funeral director where I was working as a a policeman and he was like, Kelly, I'm looking for a funeral director.
Um, I know that you had said that you'd worked in the funeral and I always find it interesting. Um. Have you ever thought about going back to school? Well, I, I thought about it and I said, you know, yes. But it's, it's a big adventure to get out of a career that you've been in for 18 years when you have two small kids.
At the time, I had a, um, daughter that was 22 months old, and I had a son that we just had that was um, six weeks old.
[00:04:49] Liz and Bill: Oh wow.
[00:04:50] Kelly Chyke: And I was like, boy, I don't know if I could do this. And what is my wife gonna say if I. Decide to get outta law enforcement and pursue a whole nother career. Um, after visiting with my beautiful wife, Bonnie, she said, you know, if you want to do it, I think that the time is now to do it.
And we were both looking at the safety factors. You know, I wanted to be here to, um, watch my kids grow, and you always have a higher risk in law enforcement if something happening to you. And so I, I weighed out the aspects of. Um, my career versus being here for my family and said, this is the time to do it.
[00:05:30] Liz and Bill: Yeah, I mean, you said, um, I, I, I think, you know, you've had two careers now where people kind of call on you on one of the worst days of their lives, basically, you know? What do you think? Um. Do you think there's a certain kind of person that's drawn to that? I, I mean, I know you mentioned the, the excitement of law enforcement, but you know, what do you see in yourself that kind of fits in both of those, um, careers or.
[00:06:03] Kelly Chyke: You know, I think in both careers you, you have to be a person that cares about people. Um, sometimes people think a law enforcement is, you know, the person that is there to, um, tell you that you've done something wrong and to correct you. But on the other side of it is law enforcement is there also to help.
Um, you know, there's no better feeling than helping a family. Um, you have a lost child or something like that, or you, the family has been wronged by somebody and you work and work and work and get to a conclusion of it where it's good for the victim and good for the, the perpetrator. Um, that makes you feel really good.
The same aspect comes with people that are in the funeral home. Um, um, in the funeral business, if you're a funeral director or you know, just somebody that's working a visitation, people put their trust in you that, um, you're gonna take care of them at the worst time of their life. Um, nobody can say that there's anything worse than losing a family member.
Um, even somebody that has, you know, lived a good long life and into their nineties. Um, it's still tough when the time comes and they finally pass away because that is someone that they're never gonna be able to see again. They're never gonna be able to hold their hand, never hear their voice. Um, and that makes it very difficult.
And I, I just think that people that are in the funeral home, in the funeral business or in law enforcement, um, we have to be very good listeners and lots of compassion, um, to the people that are putting their trust in us.
[00:07:49] Liz and Bill: Well, Kelly, how do you cope with all of that? You know, as a law enforcement officer, I'm sure you've seen a lot of things you'd rather not have seen, and of course, you just kind of detailed what it's like to lose a family member and dealing with those. Who, who are grieving. I mean, you take some of that on yourself, I assume.
So how do you mentally deal with it?
[00:08:07] Kelly Chyke: You know, the one thing I do is, um, I go home. I have a a 60 pound, um, yellow lab pit bull mix.
Um, and I go home and the dog just seems to know if I've had a really tough day at work, um, sat down in the chair, the dog will jump up on my lap and just cuddle with me. Um, and I just sometimes need that time just to, um, recharge my batteries, um, because it is very difficult.
And, you know, I've worked in both aspects of the funeral business where, um, when I was going to school, mortuary school in Chicago. I worked in a funeral home that did about 2,500, um, death calls or funerals in a year. Um, and the people there just became, you were, you know, call number five today. So you really didn't have that close bond that you have here.
I, with me living in a town of about 2000 people, you know, I know pretty much everybody in town. Um, so when I get a death call, I know usually the person that passed away. I know their family members and there's a, a closeness or bondness there, and that makes it very difficult because there is a relationship there.
They're not a number, they are a friend that you've known. And I've been here in Redfield now for 20 years. It'll be 20 years in June. And so I was just thinking to myself about all the people that I've watched. That used to come into visitations that were very, very healthy and would stand and talk to 'em.
Now, some of those people are the people that I'm, I'm burying and they're good friends and it is tough. Um, you know, but the, the nice side of that is, um, to, to give that family the care, the support, um, that they need at the most difficult time. Um, and to have a family come back and say, you know, Kelly.
You made it so easy for us because you know us. You knew our dad, you knew our mom or our brother, our sister. Um, and that brought us comfort. And I think that's what it's about, is, um, to bring comfort to the people that we have had the honor of serving.
[00:10:27] Liz and Bill: Well, I do want to ask because you know, you, you got to know Liz of course. And their company. You bought a mortuary and you put a flag pole in. So I know there's a story behind all of that and um, maybe you'd like to share that with us. I mean, what made you feel that was such an important thing to do?
[00:10:47] Kelly Chyke: You know, when my wife and I made the decision to to buy the mortuary or the funeral home. Um, we are thinking about ways to give back to the people that we served and, you know, one of the large groups of people that we serve is our veterans. Um, and you know, I've always had all this special place in my heart for our veterans because our veterans, um, had went and served selfishly to give us the American people, the freedoms that we have today, and without them.
It would be, we wouldn't have that freedom. And I wanted to be able to give back to them and say, thank you for your service. Thank you for doing what you did to make my life better. Um, and one of the ways of doing it, I felt, was to fly the flag, um, to honor their service. Um, the other thing people always ask, well, geez, Kelly, did you ever serve in the military?
Because we always see that every one of your suits, every one of your. Um, sports coats, you're always wearing an American flag. And, you know, I never had the ability to serve in the military because of a medical condition. my wife and I talked about a way to give back to our veterans and they are a, a large percentage of people that we serve. So by putting up a flag and saying, thank you for doing what you did so I can have the freedom to do what we do in the America, the, in America, I just felt was a great way to, to show that respect to them.
[00:12:28] Liz and Bill: I mean, walk us through, you know when a veteran passes and you're putting up their, their branch flag, um, you know, walk us through what that looks like from, you know, when you, when you put the flag up to when the family arrives.
[00:12:43] Kelly Chyke: Well, there's a couple different things that I do to honor our veterans. Um, one of the things is when I go to the hospital, the nursing home or the place of. Um, usually, like I said around here, knowing the people I know if they've served, um, and if not, you know, I, when I'm going through the list of things that the family needs to bring to the funeral home, one of the questions is, you know, is your loved one a veteran?
And if so, you know, what branches of service did they serve? Um, and the reason I ask that is just for the aspect. A I want to be able to fly the flag for them, but I also want to be able to help them know that they need to bring in their discharge papers so they can get all of the military benefits that they're entitled to the American flag.
Um, the taps, the fire and squad, the headstone. Um, and if they tell me yes that their veteran, their loved one is a veteran, um, when I do the removal at the um, hospital or the place of death. Our cot on one side of our cot. The cover that goes over it is a, a nice blue quilt, and on the other side of our cot is an American flag.
So when I move the person that has passed away, the deceased to our cot, and I'm taking 'em out of the place of the death to bring 'em to the funeral home, if they're a veteran, I put a flag over top of their, um, the cot that they're being wheeled on out on, just outta respect when I get back to the funeral home.
And then once we can confirm that they are a veteran and that they were honorably discharged, one of the first things we do is we go out and we raise the American flag, um, with the flag of their branch of service directly underneath of it. Um, and then that flies out in front of our funeral home from the date of their death until after their committal.
Um, either at the cemetery or. Um, in a niche or they've been cremated and there's no further services. And I always let the family know at that time that we're doing this in honor of them, um, so that they know. Um, on our Facebook page, we put a nice little, um, picture of the, the flag, the American flag, and the branch flag up, and we say, we are flying this flag.
In honor of whoever the deceased was and thank them for their service to our country.
[00:15:14] Liz and Bill: I was gonna say, I have gone through that personally with, so someone in my family and the symbolism of the flag and what it means. It is almost overpowering. I don't know how to put it into words. I don't know if you get that sense as well. And for, for those who are attending those funerals and they, they see this display of patriotism and respect of feedback, are you getting.
[00:15:39] Kelly Chyke: You know. Um, I've had nothing but positive, um, feedback from family members. Um, you know, I've had families when they, the first thing when they pull into the parking lot and they get outta their vehicle and they look up and they see the American flag and the flag of the branches, the service flying out front, um, you know, taking pictures of it, um, and coming in and saying, you know, we greatly appreciate that you're honoring our loved one by doing this.
Um, and, you know, get tears in her eyes and come in and gimme a big hug and just say Thank you. And, and that's what it's about. Um, honoring these people and showing respect to them.
[00:16:19] Liz and Bill: Do you, do you have a, you know, specific story that you'd be willing to share,
[00:16:24] Kelly Chyke: I will, you know what? And it goes back to probably one of the very first times that I had started flying the American flag. Um, out front people started talking about that. Geez, it's nice to see a, a flag out front. But the very first time that I took down the state flag and I put up a flag with a, um, service emblem on it for the branch of the service, um, and the family come in, they were just totally surprised that they did that.
They, you never seen that before. Um, and they broke down and they started crying. Um. That someone would think that much of the service that their loved one provided to do something like that. Um, I got a nice letter from them that thanked me for doing that and saying that it was so nice to know that someone was taking care of their loved one that was truly respectful of the service that they had.
Um, and I, I hold that dear to my heart because I just think that, um, it says a lot. Okay. And you know, even to this day, you know, it's, we're looking at, um, 10 years that we've been doing this. Now it's amazing how, how often when we put up a flag with a veterans flag underneath of it, um, how many people are calling up and saying who passed away.
Um, and then we tell 'em, it's like, oh. You know, we knew that they were a veteran. We knew that they served, we just had no idea which branch of service they were in. So I think it opens up a dialogue where, um, the family can share stories of their loved one, um, about what they did, what branches of service they served in, where they served at.
And I think, um, talking about their loved one with other people, um, is a form of healing for them. So I think it's a great avenue to open up that conversation.
[00:18:21] Liz and Bill: It is one of those things where when you see a funeral like that, you talked about the taps and the flag and that it, it, in general, the general public will stop and pause with the family publicly to display, you know, their affection. And I think you're right. I mean, it goes a long way. For the family's healing, but I, I understand you've also kind of expanded on this.
It's
[00:18:43] Kelly Chyke: I did
[00:18:44] Liz and Bill: now what, what's going on?
[00:18:45] Kelly Chyke: well, you know, I, I had such positive feedback. From flying just the branches of the United States military. Um, and then some people are saying, well, what about other people? Um, you know, they've served the country in different ways, um, serving their community. And, you know, coming from law enforcement, I, I know what, um, a demand that is.
And so I thought, you know, they're absolutely right. Let's get a flag that can honor our law enforcement. A flag that can honor. Our firemen, honor our EMS, um, let's take and do flags for them. And I looked and, you know, sure enough, at, you know, at the time before you guys changed to the new company name, you know, carrot Top, I, I kept getting the, the catalogs and it's like I've had really good luck.
Getting flags from you guys. Let's see if they have these type of flags. So I looked in there and sure enough, here's a, here is a pages with these flags. It's like, let's, let's buy those flags and fly those flags to honor those people that not only served the American population, but our communities by law enforcement, EMS fire departments.
So I started flying those two and they have the just as much respect and people. I truly love seeing those.
[00:20:32] Liz and Bill: Yeah. And um, Kelly, when you and I talked. Last year I was really, um, touched when you told me that, that you also added the, the organ donor flag. Um, I know when my mom passed away, um, she donated her organs to science and, um, I just, I thought that was, you know, really thoughtful. I think that was an example of what, what you're talking about.
Right, exactly. Where, um, you know, it just feels very personal. Um, I, I, I don't know. Do you wanna talk about. How that flag got added and honestly, will you explain what that flag looks like? I don't know that a lot of people are aware that has a flag.
[00:21:12] Kelly Chyke: I will, I will do that. You know, after flying the, the service branches and the community branches for our firemen, um. I was talking with one of our or organ donor companies, they had come in and they were like, they saw the flags and they were like, well, have you ever thought about flying the, the donor flag?
And I was like, no, I, I've never seen a donor flag. And they're like, well, we're gonna get you a donor flag. Um, because we send 'em out to the families of anybody that's a donor so they can fly 'em at home. We're gonna get one or two for you so you can fly 'em at the funeral home. And so I have here. This is, um, what the emblem on the flag is.
And the flag is just a pure white flag with this in the center of it. Um, and so after the the company had given me that, um, I've been flying ever since, um, just to say thank you to those people because they also are providing a service. You know, they're, they're donating their organs, their tissues, which is in turn helping.
Thousands of people, um, everything from, you know, skin to fire victims, to corneas for, you know, the elderly or people that are having trouble with their visions, um, to regular, um, heart, lungs and stuff like that, saving lives. And so I think it was very important and a very good fit to add that flag into the mix of the other flags that we fly.
[00:22:45] Liz and Bill: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Um, I don't know. I, I think you could probably come up with a flag, you know, for anyone. He passed away, just kind of showing what they brought to this world. So that, that's really cool. Um, and I know you, you know, you were looking to kind of expand the tradition even inside the funeral home with, with flags.
How, how's that going? I think we just, just happened maybe last year.
[00:23:15] Kelly Chyke: It did, um, towards, I, I think it was in July of last year, I was thinking, you know, why just fly it out in front of the, the funeral home? Let's bring a flag into our chapel. Um, so I had ordered the American flag and also the state flag, um, on the eight foot pulse from your company. I got those. And now, um, those.
Flags both the American flag and the state flag set in the front of our chapel. Um, and are there for not only for our, um, veterans, but for everybody, um, just to honor the country that we live in and the state that we live in. Um, so they set right up front of our chapel, um, one on each side of the casket.
So then they've been there and people have been very um. Outspoken about that in a good aspect is like, you know, this is a really nice touch. And so I've been very happy with the response I've got from that.
[00:24:18] Liz and Bill: Did you ever think it was gonna be that powerful of a statement when you initially decided to go forward with this?
[00:24:25] Kelly Chyke: I didn't, you know, I never, ever thought that putting a out front or moving and, and getting to the point of putting flags in the actual chapel itself. Would ever be this big of a statement or this big of a issue to touch, to touch so many lives? Um, I would, I would say that um, any funeral home or any business that is not flying the flag is really missing a great opportunity, um, to show, you know, what this country means to them and to say thank you for so many people that made.
This country what it is.
[00:25:07] Liz and Bill: I couldn't agree more with that. I hope everybody does that. Although, you know, there are times in this country, sometimes it's not very popular. So in a way we're in a sense, brave to do some of these things. Because you could have easily have gone the other way in this day and age. You know what I'm talking about?
And so it was kind of a brave thing you did, and I'm so thrilled that the reaction you got was so overwhelmingly positive. That's, it's just amazing. Kelly.
[00:25:33] Kelly Chyke: Yeah. You know, very seldom, you know. I can't say that it's all been positive every now and then, you know, you do get the people that come in and they're like, you know, this country has really gone downhill. Um, why would you want to fly a flag, um, for a country that is so screwed up? And, you know, I guess I don't see that.
If you don't like me flying the flag, I, I'm sorry that you feel that way, but I think that there's way more people that are happy because of what our veterans did and give us the right to fly this flag.
Not only do they give us the right to fly the flag, but they also give these people that have, um, hard feelings against it, the right to express their feelings. Um, you know, you go to so many countries that you don't get that right to either be pro or against it. Um, so that is what I want to say thank you to our veterans for, because they gave us that opportunity to be able to speak our peace, either forward or against it without worrying about being, um, sent to jail or killed or anything like that.
[00:26:43] Liz and Bill: It sounds like it's more for the individual anyway. It's for the family and and the individual. You're honoring
[00:26:50] Kelly Chyke: Absolutely.
[00:26:51] Liz and Bill: You said Kelly. That your, your town population is two, 2000 people. I mean, do you think this tradition lands differently? You know, because everyone knows each other,
[00:27:07] Kelly Chyke: You know, I do think that it, it has a little bit different, um, um, landing as you called it, because. Um, like I said, I live, the funeral home I have is right on the highway, um, a block off of Main Street. So I get a lot of traffic by here. Um, and you know, I hear every day that, you know, when I drive by, I look to see, okay, is there something other than the state flight flying?
Um, so people notice that, um, and they if it's a real windy day or something happens that, um, the flag isn't flying. Um, you know, people will stop in and say, well, geez, Kelly, I see the flags now. What, what, why isn't the flags flying today? Um, and I just went through that, um, two weeks ago. Um, I was saying to myself, you know, Kelly, you need to replace the ropes on the the flag pole because it's getting to be where they're starting to say, show some wear and tear.
And, you know, we had one of those days of, in South Dakota when the wind blows 50 miles an hour. And I was sitting at the o in my office and all of a sudden I heard a clunk on the, the roof. Because I have a, a steel roof on it, and then I see the flags come off the roof and down in front of the window and I'm like, huh, what's that about?
I thought at first that, you know, the flag pull itself, the top pulley or something came off. So I got up and I walked out, and here what had happened is the rope had broke. So here the flags are laying there and I, you know, got 'em up and I was like, okay, now I have a, a flag pole that's, you know, about 30 feet in the air.
Um, how am I gonna get this rope back up on there? So, you know, I had to call around and I talked to a couple people in town and, um, they had pointed me in the direction to one guy and I called him up and I said, you know, Kurt, I this is Kelly at the funeral. And he says, yep. I said, you know what, the, my rope on my flag pole broke, so I can't fly the flag.
I'm looking for somebody that has a boom truck that can come over to to restrain the pulley at the top. Is that something I could hire you to do? He says, absolutely. He says, you know what, I'll be down there, um, yet this afternoon. If you get the rope, we'll get that put up today. Um, and you know, that's a positive response because in a small town that happens, I wonder in a big, in a big town, you know, it might be two or three days before you can find somebody to come to it, but it was just as important to him that this flag is out there because he said.
You know what? You flew the flag for my loved one, and I knew what it meant to me. So I want to have that opportunity for the next family member. So he was down that afternoon and re strung the pulley on the flag pole so I could put the flags right back up.
[00:29:48] Liz and Bill: Yeah. Yeah. That is cool. Um, I, I know, um. I don't know. I just, I just think the story, the symbol of the flag. Um, I know at, um, at like where, where my dad lives, they, um, they put out a rose when someone passes away. Um, and it just reminds me of that, that same thing. I mean, I think part of what you're doing is.
Um, people don't want to think about death really, but it's, it's kind of trying to, to just, I don't know, show you that it happens all the time that kind of bring it into your life so that you, you notice, I think it's a really important thing you're doing for the community, and that's another example of May of a definitely in a city that's much bigger than than 2000 where, you know, I think starting a rou, a tradition, people notice and it's a way to, for them to show their respect and kind of stop and think about that person, um, for a second.
[00:31:00] Kelly Chyke: I've had other funeral directors that have been here to the funeral home and, um, have seen this and they're like, you know what? I'm going home and I'm gonna do this at my funeral home. And so I think it's catching on and I think that we're gonna see more and more of this, um, where people are doing this.
[00:31:17] Liz and Bill: Yeah. Well, I was just gonna say, excuse me hindsight's 2020. What have you learned from all of this? What's, what's your takeaway? Um, it seemed like a, in a way it's a. It's a small gesture initially, right? The first flag you put up the pole and look where you are today. So what have you learned?
[00:31:36] Kelly Chyke: You know, I learned that um, there's a lot of people that really like to have an avenue. To share stories about their loved one and especially their military service. 'cause people are very proud that their loved ones have served in the military. Um, I'm very proud to say that my, my grandfather and my dad, my brother and my nephew all served in the military.
Um, and you know, I just love when someone talks about, um, their, their service. And I love that it's an avenue for people to. To ask questions about it and to share stories. So it, I love the aspect that it's that avenue.
[00:32:22] Liz and Bill: Well, I, I, when we talked last year, Kelly, I, I wrote this down. You said something that I, I wanted to come back to, which was, I don't think people realize the significant impact they make until they do it. Um, you know, what would you say to someone who's, you know, thinking about doing something like this, a community leader or another?
Um, you know, thinking that they might want to start a tradition like this.
[00:32:50] Kelly Chyke: Yeah. You know, when I first did it, um, like I said, that, you know, I didn't think it was gonna be this big of a, um, a deal to the public. I thought it was just gonna be a way to say thank you. Um, I didn't realize it was gonna touch so many lives. And so many people were gonna be talking about it. And, um, it is just ballooned to such a big thing.
Um, I'm glad I did it. I wish that it would've been done long before I came here. Um, but you know, I would do it a hundred times over. Um, I would tell anybody that's thinking about it, you know what? The small investment that it costs to buy a flagpole, to have it erected, to buy the flags. You know, that little bit of money and time that you've spent on it, um, is going to come back to you a million times over, um, in comments and, and people saying thank you and showing the appreciation that they have, that you've done that.
Um, so I just think that it is well worth the expense and the feeling that you get for knowing that you've touched people's lives, um, in a way by doing this.
[00:34:08] Liz and Bill: Didn't ask the real boss though. Yeah, his wife. What does his wife think about all of this?
[00:34:13] Kelly Chyke: You know, um, my wife, um, she's very in favor of it. Um, you know, we do have a little bit of kidding every now and then because I met my wife when I was in law enforcement. She was also in law enforcement, but the, the difference was that I was an American citizen. Working up on the US Canadian border. My wife was a law enforcement officer, a federal law enforcement officer for Customs for Canada.
So we run into that thing about, you know, we're gonna fly the American flag on the 4th of July, but do you mind, can we fly the Canadian flag on, um, July 1st, which is Canada's date? Um, so we do have that. So she's very much in favor of flying the American flag. But, you know, I, I do at home, not at the funeral home, we do at home do fly the Canadian flag on, um, July 1st to honor her, um, citizenship.
But she's a, she's a, a US citizen now, but you know, her past and, um, birthplace and everything like that. So very, very supportive.
[00:35:20] Liz and Bill: Well, what, um, what's gonna be your next career, Kelly?
[00:35:27] Kelly Chyke: My wife told me that 18 years in law enforcement, 25 years now in the funeral business, she says her next career is gonna be retirement. Um, so no, she says she doesn't want to change careers anymore. So I, we're gonna stick with this for, you know, another 10 years. And, you know, then hopefully retire and, you know, enjoy spending time with family and friends and doing some traveling.
[00:35:52] Liz and Bill: Sounds like a great plan. Yeah. Yeah. Well, it, it was a indeed a pleasure. It really was. I I'm so glad you did what you did. Excuse me. And I hope others pick up on it. Kelly, I really do. Because I know personally how much it means, and I know it means a lot to so many people, and I'm glad you're doing it.
You're making a big difference in people's lives, and thank you for that.
[00:36:17] Kelly Chyke: Well, thank you guys for asking me to come and share my story. Thank you for, you know, providing the flags, um, that we can fly. Um, we're always looking for good American made flags that will withstand the elements and fly and look great. Your company does a wonderful job on providing those flags to us so that we can do that.
[00:36:41] Liz and Bill: Yeah. Well thanks for
saying
[00:36:42] Kelly Chyke: a partnership.
[00:36:43] Liz and Bill: We appreciate your business and. I appreciate how you've served others. I mean, it's, it's awesome. I thank you're gonna need a talk show host flag at some point, so, oh. Yeah, get to work on that. 'cause Bill Stills really repetitive. Wanna do that, like bunch of them on the flag.
[00:37:05] Kelly Chyke: Um, you know, I'm looking forward to and I was gonna look in your new catalog to see, um, if you have one, but, you know, with, um, the United States, um, celebrating 250 years this year. Um, I want to get a a flag that I can start flying here at the funeral home, um, for our 250th birthday. So. Um, I'm gonna look in your catalog today and see if there's one in there and,
[00:37:31] Liz and Bill: There might be a few.
[00:37:32] Kelly Chyke: there might be a few.
Okay.
[00:37:34] Liz and Bill: are. Okay. Thanks so much, Kelly. I've really enjoyed this. Okay.
[00:37:40] Kelly Chyke: Thank you guys.
[00:37:47] Liz and Bill: I know we just talked to Kelly for a while and I think what stands out to me, um, is something as simple as a flag, how much weight and meaning it can carry. And, um, that brings us to our next segment. , So welcome to Flags of Change. Where we explore how powerful symbols born from one individual, can kind of blossom into, into something that's really impactful.
And today we're turning our focus to something very interesting, um, the Earth Day flag. So thank you for joining us, Heather there.
[00:38:22] Heather: Hi, good morning.
[00:38:23] Liz and Bill: So, um, and I was just commenting on your, your shirt. I think this whole topic is, is really exciting. Um. Or what's going on. Um, and, and, you know, to start with the flag, the Earth Day flag, it feels very different from most flags in that, you know, it's not abstract, it's not symbol, it's an actual image.
And what, what makes this design so powerful?
[00:38:50] Heather: Yeah. Um, I think it's exciting too. And the very first flag of Earth or Earth Earth flag had a 1969 Apollo 10 photo on it. And the version of it that we know today has a 1972 Apollo 17 photo on it that is commonly known as the blue marble. And while there were some earlier images of Earth. The blue marble is one of the most reproduced photos of all time and the way the light was hitting the earth, the atmospheric conditions on the planet the perspective of the continents that we could see.
It really made the composition reminiscent of a floating marble, and it was incredibly powerful to have people go out and be able to share back this type of vantage point of the planet through this photograph.
[00:39:36] Liz and Bill: Well, for many people it was the first time they, they saw the planet as a hole. It kind of put things into perspective. Right, Heather? I mean, it was all of a sudden. No, things aren't so big and this little blue marble that we're riding on in space is kind of important. We ought to be thinking about things like water environment and all the things that, you know, we recognize Earth Day for.
[00:39:58] Heather: aside from being able to see Earth from this new perspective, a lot was happening on Earth at the time. Um, Rachel Carson, Carson published Silent Spring in 1962, which really sounded the. Alarm on the ecological disaster, pesticide use. Um, you've got the Cold War, you've got the Vietnam War happening.
And so this image provided a perspective shift. Um, it allowed people to see the fragility of Earth, and it also allowed us to see Earth as a, a shared planet as opposed to individual nation states.
[00:40:26] Liz and Bill: Oh, earth Day for me, when I was a kid, I'd go swimming in, what was the Fox River where I come from? And it had PCBs and it was, you could almost walk on it, but we didn't care. We didn't know. And then I believe it was Senator from Wisconsin who actually helped create Earth Day. And from that point. Just that flag and that recognition.
How much progress have we made Heather, in regards to improving our little blue marble?
[00:40:51] Heather: Yeah. The flag was designed by John McConnell, and at the time he was a peace advocate. He was an environmental activist, and he proposed the first Earth Day at a 1969 UNESCO conference. And from there, US Senator, Senator Gaylord Nelson picks it up. Um. Launches a teachin initiative on environmental reform that leads to the first Earth Day in early 1970, and then later that year, the EPA is founded.
So this flag, symbolic imagery, um, allowed people to rally behind it and really move into concrete action, addressing some of the challenges of the time and, and shift us on a better course.
[00:41:27] Liz and Bill: Well, I, I can say this with confidence As someone who sells flags, you know, this, this is not something that says widely flown, but yet, you know, it's a, it's a symbol, um, that it might be the most relatable flag in the world, you know? Well, why do you think that is?
[00:41:45] Heather: Yeah, I think flags are very often used by people to share their values, their identity, their brand, their sense of place. So, you know, maybe you're flying, the US flag for team USA at the Olympics, or maybe you're a North Carolinian trying to represent your county, um, and your preferred style of barbecue or Liz, maybe your ATAR heel trying to represent during March Madness.
Um, we don't necessarily identify ourselves as earthlings that need to fly our earth colors and competition with other planets like Mars. Right. Um. And then on top of that, the Apollo program ended in 1972. And so we stopped getting back. These people made images and perspectives that allowed us to see Earth from that zoomed out distance, that really gave us the sense of awe about our planet.
[00:42:33] Liz and Bill: Yeah. Yeah, I definitely think there's something to, um, I mean obviously we have like robots and things that can take that, that picture, but you know, there's something to it. A person actually, you know, was there and, and took that picture. Um, you know, if, if the Earth Day flag represents this. This, you know, shared responsibility and shared place.
Um, do you think that this, um, symbols like this still have the power to unite people today?
[00:43:09] Heather: as a matter of fact, as we record, there are four astronauts. On their way back, um, on an Artemis mission from the far side of the moon. Um, and we are seeing images that came to these earth rise or blue marble images of the Apollo era all over again for the first time in 50 or 60 years. And, um, yeah, sure we've got some incredible UNC crewed technology out there in deep space, sending back some photos.
Um, but there is nothing quite like the poetry of other humans out there reminding us where our home is in the vastness of space and our connectedness because of that blue marble.
[00:43:45] Liz and Bill: I am a big space fan. This has been a great week. It really has. But you're right. Having a human take that picture rather than a robot. Makes all the difference in the world and it's a message that is universal. We really don't need words for it. Mm-hmm. The picture says it all. Yeah. So, um, I'm not sure if there's another flag out there that is so simplistic really, that offers the same message.
Um, and maybe we'll use something from Artemis at Mission. We'll see. Yeah. Well, happy Earth Day. Thank you for joining us, Heather. We appreciate
[00:44:18] Heather: Yeah, it's been a pleasure to share the slide with you all.
[00:44:20] Speaker 3: Thanks for listening to Freedom and Glory, tales of American Spirit. If today's story moved, you share it with someone who'd appreciate it. Subscribe and leave a review. It helps others find us. And when you're ready for American made flags and products Built to Last visit, freedom and glory.com. One flag a million stories.
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