DIVE FLAG--One man's involvement

[Thalassamania]

No but its still funny.

I suppose you mean "It's"?

 

[DebbyDiver]

I suppose you mean "It's"?

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

i suppose you mean "it's"?

d'oh. :d

 

[mike_s]

Sam.... just bumping this as we've been anxiously awaiting your reply for about 3 days now...

Mr. Miller, would you consider scanning or photographing the page from the September 1957 issue of Skin Diver that mentions the flag?

In your history of the flag (portagequarry.com/legendarticles/miller_072005.htm) you write that "Ted B. Nixon announced that he was designing a flag ... and requested suggestions for designs that could be accepted nationally."

This is a little different than the account at skin-diver.com/departments/timecapsules/NuggetsofYesteryear.asp?theID=633 which says "The September 1957 editorial mentions a diver from Michigan whose club newspaper included articles on 'a divers flag that would...indicate the location of the underwater man....' Skin Diver asked for suggestions on the design of a national flag and created a raging debate."

Did Ted Nixon himself announce that he was designing a flag and request suggestions, or did the editors of the magazine mention the Dockery/Nixon flag and request suggestions?

 

[Thalassamania]

Sam is sending me the mags and I'll get them posted. It will take a little time.

The real point is that they indicate Nixon should get the credit. There is a another claim on the table, that at first blush seems reasonable, but that (at least so far) is unsupported by any form of documentation.

So Sam's articles, while interesting, will not, in and of themselves, change anything or prove anything new.

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

Seems familiar doesn't it. As soon as Mr. Dockery jumps in Sam goes poof!!!

 

[Thalassamania]

It is not incumbent upon Sam to make any more of a case for Nixon than he has already done, what more is there for him to say? The ball in now in Doc's court to provide some evidence of his claim. I, for one, hope that he is able to.

 

[mike_s]

It is not incumbent upon Sam to make any more of a case for Nixon than he has already done, what more is there for him to say?

I disagree.

I have not see Sam make any more of a case than Docc has. His "case" was purely stated here, with no proof shown. Dockery has disputed this claim (again so far without proof either, to be fair).

2-3 years ago he was told that his research might not be accurate and his reply was that he wasn't willing to go 3,000 miles to verify it. I can understand that from a time and expense issue, but he didn't even bother to interview him. Just a "few emails".

so to me, and many others, the value of his work was belittled by this. History that is inaccurate is not a lot more than a work of "fiction".

I think that most of us just want the story to be completely accurate and researched properly if someone is going to claim to be an accurate historian about it. Not just discount someones story because they already have their mind made up.

The ball in now in Doc's court to provide some evidence of his claim. I, for one, hope that he is able to.

I look forward to this.

 

[Thalassamania]

It doesn't really matter what you (or I, or Sam) think. The fact is that most of the "record" such as it is, credits Nixon with the flag. Doc's explanation makes sense to me, and I have no reason to disbelieve, but nailing it down for posterity requires some form of documentation.

 

[ONESPEED]

May I be the first to say, I'm much more concerned with raising awareness among boaters of the significance of a dive flag than where it came from.