WAVING OLD GLORY: PLUS A WHOLE LOT MORE

Herb Nance is a man with a flag for any occasion: American flags, flags of states and foreign countries, flags celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas, Father's Day, Mother's Day, birthdays, even flags celebrating spring.

Nance owns Ourco, which stands for "our company", a firm operated from his Cape Girardeau home specializing in flags. Today, Flag Day, is one of his favorite holidays.

A World War II veteran and active member in both the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Nance said his flag business is a natural offshoot of his personal regard for the nation's flag.

"I also sort of like to be my own boss," he said.

"Years ago there was an old gentleman in Carbondale who sold flags for the whole areas. I talked to him one time and said I'd be interested in buying him out when he was ready to retire," Nance said. "He said he might want to give the business to his son, so I said to heck with him and started my own business."

Three flag poles display the merchandise at Nance's home on Perry Avenue.

"The city will only let me put up a 12 by 12 sign," he said. "So I just put the product out there. A lot of people never knew there were so many kinds of flags."

He is displaying a Christopher Columbus flag currently, celebrating the 500th anniversary of the explorer's arrival in the New World.

"There are all kinds of flags," Nance said. "One for every season.

"There are Democrat and Republican flags, but I don't fly those. I do have one that says `Vote' that I put out a few days before each election."

Nance keeps his inventory at his home. The flags have spilled out of the basement into the living room and dining room and hallway and bedrooms of his home. He said he keeps about $8,000 in inventory on hand; he likes to be ready. To better handle the storage of his flags, Nance is building a storage area.

"I like to have American flags of any size or type. Most people use 3 by 5 flags, so I have quite a few of those."

The Persian Gulf War was particularly good for business. During the war, patriotism in the area soared and many individuals and companies installed new flag poles.

The result has been that people are buying more flags. Granted, most people are replacing worn American flags with new American flags. "A lot of people have stayed with it even after the war."

But Nance said variety is available.

"I sell a lot of foreign flags to students up at the college," Nance said. "Irish flags sell really well."

And he will special order flags for almost any occasion.

Nance keeps track of his regular customers. "I go out of my way to order stuff for people, just to please them. I will also repair anything for free, up to a 5 by 8 flag. It's not the best for business, but I can't stand to see a torn flag. I'd rather not see one at all than to see one ragged and torn."

In fact, Nance has an agreement with several firms that when he sees a worn flag he will repair or replace it.

"I tell them, `If your flag is missing, it's probably not stolen. I probably have it,'" he said.

On this Flag Day, Nance hopes people will take a few minutes to reflect on the meaning of the United States flag, a symbol to the world of this nation's independence, individual liberty and unity.

"I think (the U.S. Supreme Court justices) were wrong when they said people could burn the flag," Nance said. "I can't understand why people would want to do something like that anyway. There are a lot of ways to get attention without burning the flag.

Nance said, "The history of the nation is reflected in that flag."