Let’s start with vocabulary words. You know what a veterinarian is: they keep your dog or cat healthy. You know what a ventriloquist is, even though we rarely seem to hear that word anymore. Think Edgar Bergen if you collect Social Security; Jeff Dunham, if retirement is still a few years off.

But it seems safe to assume most of us have never heard of vexillology or its several derivatives. So, study hard – there may be a quiz later. According to our friends at Wikipedia:

Taylorsville resident DeVaughn Simper has been studying and collecting flags from around the world for decades. (Photo courtesy DeVaughn Simper)

Vexillology is the study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags;

Vexillologist is the person who does this; 

Vexillography is the art of designing flags;

Vexillographer is the person who does this; and 

Vexillophile is simply a general admirer of flags. 

(The words come from the Latin word vexillum, which was a flag carried by the Roman cavalry.)

So, if you and I like a flag or two, we’re vexillophiles; if you’ve studied flags for decades – and own more than 1,700 of them from nearly 200 countries – you are our Taylorsville resident vexillologist, DeVaughn Simper.

“I began collecting flags for a Cub Scout project when I was 8 years old,” Simper said. “My first three flags were from the United States, Utah and Germany. When I graduated from Taylorsville High School in 2000, I still had only about 20 flags. But my collection has taken off since then.”

Simper’s current flag ownership count is 1,728. They range in size from smaller than a business card to a pair of flags, each 30-by-50 feet.

“The oldest flag I own is a United States flag with just 34 stars on it made in 1860,” Simper said. “I keep that one in a safety deposit box. But most of my flags hang in closets at home.”

Taylorsville resident DeVaughn Simper has more than 1,700 flags in his extensive collection. (Photo courtesy DeVaughn Simper)

A flag carried into the Revolutionary era battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775 by the Minutemen of Bedford, Massachusetts – the so called “Bedford Flag” – is the oldest known flag in the United States. Simper has that one as well, although it was made much more recently than George Washington times.

Coming out of high school Simper wanted to join the military, but some medical issues prevented that. Instead, he began teaching Civil Air Patrol youth groups in 2005 and U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps members in 2009.

“I was teaching flag history and flag etiquette,” he explained. “Those students jump started my flag collection. They began sending me flags with notes saying, ‘You need this one – you don’t have it yet.’ My collection really began to explode in about 2015. I also began receiving calls from families who wanted to gift me a loved one’s entire flag collection after they passed away. They knew I would treat them with care.”

Simper and his wife Sandy married in 2005. Their three children are ages 19, 16 and 14. They’ve all witnessed the flag collection grow exponentially over the past generation.

Simper has earned several recognition honors for his dedication to flag education and community service, including: the Presidents Gold, Silver and Bronze Volunteer Service Awards (12 times, total), the Good Citizen Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Book of Good Deeds Award from the Taylorsville Exchange Club and more.

Simper was also a key member of the state committee that eventually approved the new, primarily white Utah State flag we now see flying over government buildings.

Several of DeVaughn Simper’s flags have been on display in front of Taylorsville City Hall this year. (Carl Fauver/City Journals)

“Our state now actually has two official Utah flags,” Simper said. “The most current version of our traditional blue flag is still meant to be flown indoors. But it was never actually supposed to fly outside because there are too many small words and symbols to make out. So now the white flag is intended to be our state’s outside flag.”

Simper’s Utah State flag review committee met regularly for two years, considering nearly 7,000.

“Adding this second, outdoor Utah State flag was a good decision,” he added. “For starters, there are 17 state flags that are predominantly blue; so, in places where all state flags are displayed together, ours kind of got lost. Also, there should not be letters or numbers on flags, which our blue one has, because they appear backward on one side.”

This summer, Simper reached out to Taylorsville officials, offering to display several of his flags in front of city hall.

“As this year’s Pioneer Day celebration was approaching, I sent a message to the Taylorsville City Facebook page,” he said. “I offered to display six of my Utah State flags. They liked the idea and the flags were posted in front of city hall from July 18 to 26.”

Mayor Kristie Overson is among the Taylorsville employees who was surprised and pleased to see the display.

“I think the flags are a great reminder of our state and national history,” Overson said. “They show how we as people have evolved – and how the flags themselves have changed. I’m very happy DeVaughn reached out to us, volunteering to display some of his huge flag collection.” 

After our press deadline, Simper was also planning to post flags back in front of Taylorsville City Hall in mid-September, to mark the anniversary of the Star-Spangled Banner, Constitution Day, the birthday of the United States Air Force and POW/MIA Remembrance Day. 

Taylorsville resident DeVaughn Simper has many different versions of our Utah State flag, flown over the state for more than a century. (Photo courtesy DeVaughn Simper)

Since 2013, Simper has also been a member of the North American Vexillological Association.

“There are about 900 members of the club,” Simper said. “We are trying to get a local Utah chapter going. I’ve never run for a leadership position in the association. I’ve focused my attention on helping Utah residents to better understand flag etiquette. I’ve also been involved in helping Sandy City design a new flag.”

According to the North American Vexillological Association website (nava.org), the organization was established in 1967 and now has members across most states in America, most Canadian provinces and in 30 other countries.

Simper hosts about 20 elementary school educational assemblies each year across the Salt Lake Valley.

“People ask me if it’s tough holding kids’ attention – and it never is,” Simper said. “I just tell them stories about some of the more interesting flags and they really seem pretty fascinated. Along the way, I also hope they learn a little bit about properly caring for flags.”