WABBASEKA - Whenever Jason Irby drives past a mural of Willie K. Hocker painted on a building in downtown Pine Bluff, he imagines her eyes focused on his hometown of Wabbaseka about 18 miles northeast.
The notion is purely sentimental, he said, but “it’s very fitting.”
A schoolteacher, poet and artist who lived in Wabbaseka and Jefferson County for most of her life, Hocker is most famous for designing the Arkansas flag. The flag had its 100th birthday Feb. 26.
And though Hocker died in 1944, Irby and others hope to honor her memory with a memorial at the Wabbaseka City Park.
There is already a small historical marker in front of the Wabbaseka United Methodist Church noting that Hocker designed the Arkansas flag. She was a member of the church for much of her life, though few today know anyone who is related to her. A search for descendants turned up none.
But Irby and others in the town of just 250 or so residents want more.
“We want something of stature like the veteran’s memorials you see around the state and on the State Capitol grounds,” said Irby, who now lives in North Little Rock. “It has to be something befitting of this great woman’s achievements.”
A design contest for the memorial is being held through July 31. The winner will be honored by the Arkansas secretary of state’s office with a plaque and commemorative photo of the Arkansas flag flying in front of the Capitol building.
The memorial - which will be built in Wabbaseka City Park - will not only honor Hocker and the flag but also the USS Arkansas, which was the first ship to ever fly the Arkansas flag.
In Pine Bluff, a small exhibit on Hocker’s life and her Arkansas flag design is on display at the Jefferson County Historical Museum. It notes that the story behind the Arkansas flag begins in 1912 with the then-newly commissioned USS Arkansas battleship.
According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, the Pine Bluff chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution decided to present the new ship with an official state flag that would fly high atop the mast as she sailed overseas.
At the time, Arkansas had no flag, as chapter members soon learned when they contacted the secretary of state’s office.
The members urged Secretary of State Earle W. Hodges to hold a flag-design contest. He agreed.
Hocker, a member of the Pine Bluff Daughters of the American Revolution chapter, entered and won, beating out 64 other contestants.
Her original design didn’t include the state’s name - that was added a short time later by the design committee and has been considered by some historians as unnecessary.
Hocker’s design started with a simple background of red. On a diamond-shaped blue band, she placed 25 white stars to signify that Arkansas was the 25th state.
The diamond signifies that Arkansas is the only state where diamonds are mined, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture.
Hocker placed three blue stars on the white background in the center to represent the three nations - France, Spain and the United States - whose flags had flown over the state, the encyclopedia notes.
The Arkansas General Assembly adopted this design as the official state flag Feb. 18, 1913, and it was signed into law Feb. 26 by Arkansas Gov. Joe T. Robinson.
According to a historical account of the flag provided by David Ware, Capitol historian, officials first presented the flag in public at the 1913 Arkansas State Fair.
Hocker christened it with a bottle of radium-infused water from Hot Springs, “then grasped the halyard and hoisted the state flag aloft before a crowd of some 20,000,” the historical account notes.
The flag remained unchanged until 1923, when the legislature added a fourth star to the diamond to represent the Confederacy. At first, there were two stars above the name and two below, but legislation in 1924 positioned a Confederate star above the state’s name and the original three below it, according to the encyclopedia.
As for the memorial for Hocker, the flag and the USS Arkansas, Irby said he expects a design to be chosen by late August or early September. He said a number of entries had already poured in from across the state.
Those interested in submitting a design should include a drawing or image, along with a brief description of the design concept and features. In addition, the overall concept and technical features should be included as well.
Entries may be submitted to the Wabbaseka Memorial Design Contest, c/o Jason Irby, P.O. Box 11, Wabbaseka, Ark., 72175. Email entries should be submitted to [email protected] with a subject like “Wabbaseka Memorial Design Contest.”
“We have really been pleased at the number of people who have expressed interest in this project,” Irby said, noting that funding for the memorial will come from a combination of grants and private donations.
“We think this is a cause that’s worth all the effort.”
Jefferson County Judge Dutch King pledged his support for the project Friday, saying that “anything my office can do to help, we will do. We are just a phone call away.”
Nancy Barr, who lives near Wabbaseka, said she hopes the memorial will draw tourists to the area. She said she plans to donate “as much as I can” to help construct it.
“I think this is great, because we need all the positive things we can get here in southeast Arkansas,” Barr said. “I am really proud with what folks are doing. Willie Hocker was a great woman.”
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 07/22/2013