The Mississippi Senate on April 17 honored Eupora native Rocky Vaughan with Senate Resolution 65 for his contributions in designing the new Mississippi state flag.
The resolution includes this biographical information about the honoree:
Rockford “Rocky” Wayne Vaughan was born in Eupora in June 1977. After moving to Ackerman at age 4 with his parents, Gary and Beverly Vaughan, and younger brother Quint, Vaughan became active in church, school sports and city-league sports, as well as choral music, all while gaining interest in the arts.
In 1996, after graduating high school, Vaughan attended Holmes Community College, where he earned a scholarship to Mississippi State University, studying graphic design.
While developing his skills, his designs gained him award-winning titles on both state and national levels. In 2003, musical aspirations took Vaughan to Nashville, where he found a platform for performing on Lower Broadway for the next seven years.
After returning home to Mississippi with his new family, Vaughan continued to produce designs for various brands such as Dog Pound Printing, Southern Belle and Black Sporting, and he became the lead designer for the lifestyle brand Coastal Waters Supply Co.
Became determined
to create new flag
In 2013, inspired by a news story regarding the history of the Mississippi flag, Vaughan became determined to create a less controversial state flag.
This early inspiration set in motion the process for Vaughan to submit a flag design when Gov. Tate Reeves created a flag commission in June 2020.
On Nov. 3, 2020, the voters of Mississippi overwhelmingly voted in favor of Vaughan’s design as the new flag for the state of Mississippi.
Under House Bill No. 1 (2021 regular session) the Legislature ratified the new design as the official flag of the state of Mississippi on Jan. 6, 2021, and the bill was approved by the governor on Jan. 11, 2021.
The flag features the state flower, a magnolia blossom, in the center of a dark blue stripe surrounded by gold and red vertical stripes. The magnolia sits in the middle of a circle of 20 white stars with a gold star at the top that represents the Native American tribes who lived in Mississippi. The 20 white stars represent Mississippi's status as the 20th state to enter the union. At the bottom of the circle of stars are the words “In God We Trust.”
The resolution was presented to Vaughan and his family on April 17, and forwarded to the Choctaw County Economic Development District.
Vaughan currently resides in Ackerman with his wife, Keland, and their son Bentley. The Vaughans own and operate Deep South Confection and Design. They have four sons: Ryder, Brody, Ben and Bentley.
