Moina Michael and the Remembrance Poppy

Inspired by Col. John McCrae’s poem, In Fladers Fields, Georgia resident and professor Moina Michael championed the remembrance poppy following World War I. Sara Freeland, writing for UGA Today, explained: > She also launched a national letter-writing campaign encouraging others to adopt the poppy. The American Legion designated the red poppy as its official flower in 1920, and distribution of poppies became a Legion national program in 1924. Michael passed away in 1944. According to her great nephew, Tom Michael, poppy sales generated $3 billion worldwide (adjusted for 2017 inflation levels) during her lifetime after she succeeded in establishing the poppy flower as a symbol for remembering the fallen, and most of that money went directly to veterans. You can reply to this article from your own site by sending a Webmention.