WHITNEY Smith, designer of the Golden Arrowhead died in Massachusetts, United States on November 17, 2016.

In a statement to the media on Thursday, the Government of Guyana extended condolences to his family, relatives and friends.
Smith, a U.S. citizen, was born on February 26, 1940. He designed the national flag in 1960, six years before Guyana’s independence. He was a professional vexillologist and scholar of flags.
“He originated the term vexillology, which refers to the scholarly analysis of all aspects of flags and was a founder of several vexillology organisations,” the Government of Guyana said in a statement.

While a political science undergraduate at Harvard University, Smith designed the Golden Arrowhead for the then newly independent Guyana. A 20- year-old at the time, Smith had written to then former Chief Minister, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, to ask what the new country’s flag was going to be.
Dr. Jagan invited Smith to submit his ideas which he promptly did and which were subsequently adopted with some modifications.
Smith was 76 years old at the time of his passing.