What is National Tartan Day? National Tartan Day occurs on April 6th every year and marks the anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath, signed in 1320, which declared Scotland an independent nation. Over 450 years later, the American Declaration of Independence would be signed, modeled after the Scottish version.
From New York City’s Tartan Week to the five-day Tartan Film Festival in Los Angeles, people of Scottish descent across the United States grab their kilts, sporrans, belt buckles, and kilt pins and gather to commemorate.
To celebrate, we are spotlighting some of our Team Members with ties to Scotland and their love of the tartan!
Joanna Martin, Benefits and Well-Being Supervisor
Joanna was born in Edinburgh but grew up in Aberdeen, Scotland. She represented Scotland and Britain as a junior tennis player, a sport that would eventually bring her to Knoxville, Tennessee.
Her maiden name is Henderson, and like most Scottish families, they have an ancient and modern tartan design.
She prefers the modern Henderson tartan because of its lovely mix of green with a little white and yellow running through the pattern.
Her husband, Eric Martin, who is also a Pilot Team Member, wore a modern tartan tie to add a nice Scottish touch to their wedding. However, at their wedding party in Scotland later, Eric sported the full kilt and sporran, going all-in on the traditional Scottish attire (Photo Below).
Joanna loves connecting with people and sharing more about Scottish culture and her never-ending craving for Scottish Chocolate!
Mark Phillippo, Floater – Region 41
Mark Phillippo has been a truck driver with Pilot for almost 17 years. Currently, he lives in Cullman, Alabama but is originally from Indiana, which is where he was able to attend some Scottish festivals as a child. This was his initial exposure to the traditional kilt and bagpipes, which he became intrigued by. Eventually, after digging into his family history, he and his wife Jill took an ancestry test, finding out that he was 50% Scottish and his fascination with the kilt continued to grow.
Now he rocks the “Got Kilt?” sticker on the cab of his tanker truck and has a collection of universal kilts.
Keeping with his style, he tends to stick to the muted tartan patterns that are primarily black with hints of green or blue.
This year Mark and one of his good friends are traveling to Scotland to hike the West Highland Way, a 96-mile trek from Milngavie to Fort William. “Hiking and haggis,” Mark says, “not a bad way to see the Scottish countryside.”
This year for National Tartan Day, attend a festival near you, play some Scottish games with your family, or cook a traditional Scottish meal! Learn more by clicking here.
Thank you, Joanna, and Mark, for sharing your love of the Tartan!
