A U.S. flag from John R. Emens Auditorium saw presidential hopeful Robert Kennedy's speech at Ball State April 4, 1968, the same day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
But after that, it was never seen again.
Now, because of the history associated with the flag, Emens staff are asking for help to get the flag back to the auditorium stage where it belongs.
The staff recently discovered the flag currently on stage is not the 1964 original as they thought. They weren't aware the original one was replaced after being lent out and never returned.
Kristi Chambers, assistant director of marketing and communications for Emens, said they thought it was an interesting story and decided to share it with others. She said items are sometimes found 50 years after they are lost, and hopes that will be the case for the old flag.
Chambers said several people she talked to remember the day Kennedy visited and remember seeing both flags on stage.
“We thought posting on social media wouldn’t hurt anything and might as well see if anyone knew what had happened,” Chambers said. "We have no idea if it was actually stolen or somehow misplaced, we just know that it was never returned and thought maybe we could get to the bottom of it.”
Dina Byrnes, events manager for Emens, said they discovered the U.S. flag was not the original one when they decided to replace both the U.S. flag and the Indiana State flag due to natural wear and tear.
She spoke to a former employee, who told her the original flag was replaced after it was never returned. However, everything else that was lent, including the flag pole, was returned after the event.
Byrnes said she believes the Emens management at the time purchased a replacement flag. However, she said there have not been receipts or records found of that purchase.
“I’m going to assume that they replaced it soon because most stages have flags on their stage and we would’ve been without one,” Byrnes said.
Chambers said the flag is 4-by-6 feet in size and does not have any significant markings on it, but has a manufacturer's tag from Dettra Flag Products. There have not been any leads as to where the original flag could be.
Emens Auditorium management asks that anyone who has information regarding the missing U.S. flag contact them at 765-285-9037.
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