August 17, 2007

Willie K. Hocker became a notable Arkansas figure when, in 1912, she won a statewide contest conducted by the Secretary of State’s Office to design a state flag. Some suspicion arose due to the fact that she was a member of the Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), the group that had proposed the designing of a flag. However, all entries were submitted with designer identification separate from the entry. Her design, with some modifications, is the flag the state flies today. In 2005, a marker was placed at her grave, honoring her accomplishments.