Willie Kavanaugh Hocker
| Willie Kavanaugh Hocker | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 21, 1862 Madison County, Kentucky |
| Died | February 6, 1944 (aged 81) Jefferson County, Arkansas |
| Resting place | Bellwood Cemetery Pine Bluff, Arkansas 34°13′55.4″N 92°01′33.5″W / 34.232056°N 92.025972°W |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Schoolteacher |
| Known for | Flag design |
Willie Kavanaugh Hocker (July 21, 1862 – February 6, 1944) was an American schoolteacher and designer of the current Arkansas flag.
Hocker was born in Madison County, Kentucky. Her father was a farmer and planter. She and her family moved to Arkansas in 1870. After obtaining a certificate to teach in 1887, Hocker taught school in Wabbaseka. She died at home in Dunnington Township, Jefferson County, Arkansas on February 6, 1944, at the age of 81.
Hocker was a member of the Pine Bluff chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her chapter wanted to present the newly commissioned USS Arkansas with a state flag; however the chapter was informed that a state flag did not exist at all. Hocker, along with other citizens, sent flag designs to Earle W. Hodges, who was the Secretary of State. What she proposed was a red flag, with a white diamond surrounded by a border of blue, 25 white stars in the blue and three blue stars inside the white diamond. It took the flag design committee to suggest to add "Arkansas" to the flag. Hocker agreed, thus the first design of the state flag was born. After some changes to add a fourth blue star to the flag, to honor Arkansas's participation in the Confederate States of America, the final design was set in 1924.
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