CHAPTER 865
STATE OF DELAWARE
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
DOVER
PROCLAMATION
Wherea
s
, Richard Bassett, Gunning Bedford, Jr., Jac
o
b Broom, John Dickinson, and George Read represented Delaw
a
re at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia; and
Whereas, these distinguished delegates and their compatriots, with prudence and farsightedness, developed the strong, yet flexible, foundation upon which our country has flouri
s
hed; and
Wherea
s
, perceiving the necessity for a solid central government, thirty Delaware citizens, ten from each county, met in special convention in Dover, and on December 7, 1787, unanimously ratified the Feder
a
l Constitution becoming the first of the ori
g
inal thirteen states to do so, thereby occasioning Delaware's honored position as The First State, which is further indicated by the first star on the American Flag; and
Whereas, on May 15, 1939 the General Assembly of the State
.
of Delaware officially designated each succeeding December 7 to be 'Delaware Day' in recognition of this historic event; and
Whereas, the purpose of history is not to make us pri
s
oners of the past, but rather that we may gain from that past the direction, in
s
piration, vision, and courage which will enable us to solve the problems of the present and the future;
Now, therefore, I, Russell W. Peterson, Governor of the State of Delaware, do hereby proclaim Sunday, December 7, 1969 as
DELAWARE DAY
in The First State, and urge all schools, civic and fraternal organizations to participate in observances appropriate to this most
significant
event. I
would
also encourage every citizen to review some of the accomplishments which have made our noble heritage possible, so that
you
may renew your dedication to the causes for which
so
many have given their lives that this heritage
may
be further
enriched.
Further, I direct that, on this day, our national and state flags be flown from all public buildings; and I urge all citizens
to
display
the
colors on their private residences.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I, Russell W. Peterson, Governor of
the
State of Delaware, have hereunto
set
my hand
and
caused the Great Seal of the
said
State
to be
hereunto affixed at Dover this 24th
day
of November in the
year
of our Lord, one thousand nine hundred
and sixty-nine,
and of the Independence
of the
United States of America,
the
one hundred
and
ninety-fourth.
(GREAT SEAL)
RUSSELL W. PETERSON, Governor
Attest:
EUGENE
BUNTING, Secretary of
State