“The Blue Stars in Your Windows,” music and lyrics by Clarence “Tabby” Stocker. Circa 1941-1945. MCHS archival document 1987-061-0039.
Clarence “Tabby” Stocker, a lifelong citizen of Highland, was thirty years old when he was first elected as the city’s mayor in 1931. He remained in the office through the Great Depression and World War II. Tabby and his brother also owned and operated their late father’s construction and gravel business.
Stocker was a born musician, able to play virtually any instrument without instruction. He formed a dance orchestra called the Oriole Serenaders when he was about twenty years old. Later, as mayor, he conducted the municipal band’s weekly concerts in the city plaza.
Stocker also composed music, including “The Blue Stars in Your Windows.” The song celebrates the blue star service flag displayed in wartime by soldiers’ families. The official banner consists of a white field bordered in red and decorated with one or more stars. The number of stars indicates the number of family members serving in the armed forces. A blue star represents active service, a silver star stands for a wounded soldier, and a gold star means the service member has died. The banner is displayed inside the front window, facing outward.
Sources
Blue star service flag design.
“About the Service Flag.” Blue Stars Mothers of America, Inc. Accessed February 5, 2020. https://www.bluestarmothers.org/service-flag
Harris, Roland. “A Thought to Remember: Clarence ‘Tabby’’Stocker was Highland’s mayor for 14 years,” Highland News Leader, September 24, 2015.
Highland, Illinois: 1810-1987. Highland: Highland Sesquicentennial Association, 1987. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
[Obituary]. Highland News Leader, September 1, 1971.
“The Service Flag of the United States.” Chamber of Commerce. Accessed February 5, 2020. https://www.chamberofcommerce.org/usflag/history/serviceflag.html
United States census records and other public records.
Who’s Who in Madison County. Edwardsville: Edwardsville Intelligencer, 1939. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
