Retired from active vexillological employment, John continues to work "emeritus" in flag related subjects continuing his live long passion for flags. Born and raised in the Salt Lake City and its environs, John M. Hartvigsen has resided along Utah’s Wasatch Front during most of his life. However, he has also lived in Germany, Virginia, Maryland, Kansas and Indiana. A Vietnam era veteran, John served for almost twelve years as an officer in the Adjutant General’s Corps of the United States Army.Call John a flag expert, a flag historian or a Vexillologist. The Deseret News, one of Salt Lake City’s two major newspapers, called him “Utah’s Resident Flagman.” John has studied flags since he was a small boy. Before he learned to read, John studied the pictures of flags found in his family’s encyclopedia, and his childhood interest has grown to obsession. He first joined the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA), the organization for flag scholars in the United States and Canada, in 1979. He served as the Association's President from October 2014 to October 2017. Through attendance at International Flag Congresses in North America and Great Britain, John has met and interacted with prominent flag historians from all over the world, and is a Fellow of the Flag Research Center.John’s original research has focused on numerous vexillological subjects, and he has delivered numerous papers and talks detailing his research. He has written articles about flags for various scholarly journals and publications.Active in community and church work, John has taught classes in the community and served in numerous church assignments. Married for over forty-seven years, John and his wife Deanna have five grown children and seventeen grandchildren.Specialties: Flags of Utah and the Flags of the provisional State of Deseret