Paul Schott STEVENS
The arms are reminiscent of an earlier and less ornate form of heraldry. By way of explanation, let me say simply that these honorary arms betoken my family’s long history in the southern United States (Louisiana and Mississippi), hence the native (dwarf palmetto) and non-native (cotton) cultivars. In the falcon’s beak on the crest are sprigs of dogwood and cranberry which, respectively, recall our descent from the very earliest English settlers at Jamestowne and Plymouth. The four wooden branches and the mural crowns of the badge recall my four sons. The motto is from a Middle English lyric, the sentiment of which assures one that, with Christ as our brother and Mary as our mother, we have nothing to fear.