Arkansas Flag

Diamonds are a girl's best friend! 

At least, they certainly were for the designer of the Arkansas state flag, the Diamond Spangled Banner!

Designed by a history teacher, this flag's design is not only clear and bold, but rich in the symbolism of the state's history. The flag's story begins in a Camden, NJ shipyard...

USS Arkansas (Photo: E.M. Mitchell)

On January 14, 1911, a new battleship is launched. She is the largest in the US Navy: She holds over 1,000 crew members and has a maximum speed of 20.5 knots. 

The new ship was commissioned on September 17, 1912 and named after the 25th state. This is the USS Arkansas!

Meanwhile, back in Arkansas...

The Pine Bluff chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution wants to present the new ship with a state flag, but the state Secretary of State informs them that Arkansas does not have an official state flag! Not that easily daunted, the ladies hold a contest.

Miss Willie K. Hocker (Photo: Arkansas History Commission)

According to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette archives, there are 65 entries, some arriving as drawings and some as miniature, silk samples. The winning design, however, came from a D.A.R. member and area history teacher, Miss Willie Kavanaugh Hocker. Miss Hocker, from  Wabbaseka, AR, also belonged to the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the  

Colonial Dames Society 

She is, apparently, only one of two women state flag designers (www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net).

Being a history teacher, Miss Hocker embued her flag with a great deal of symbolism.

• She chose our national colors as her palette, letting the red, white and blue emphasize that Arkansas is part of the United States.

• She knew that Arkansas is the only state to mine diamonds, a fact that was as true in 1913 as it is today. To celebrate this, Miss Hooker used a large, white diamond as her central motif. (According to www.geology.com, Arkansas has only one active diamond mine remaining. It is located at Crater of Diamonds State Park.)

• She put 25 stars inside a blue border outlining the central diamond. These represent Arkansas' place as the 25th state in the Union. It also is a design element similar to the Confederate flag.

In the middle of the diamond is the state's name and 4 diamonds organized into 2 groupings, one above and one below the state name. Originally there were only 3 stars. These represented France, Spain and the United States, the 3 founding countries to lay claim to the territory from the Louisiana Purchase that would become Arkansas. When the territory was divided, it created 14 different states (in whole and in part). Arkansas was the third state created. The 3 stars also symbolize this piece of the state's history.

During the Civil War, however, Arkansas joined the Confederacy. In 1924, it was decided that this needed to be recognized in the flag so a fourth star was added. The final placement shows the original 3 stars below the state name and a 4th star above it. This 4th star represents Arkansas' membership in the Confederacy.

This is the final version of Arkansas' state flag:

The Diamond Spangled Banner of Arkansas by Miss Willie K. Hocker

(Poem:  Arkansas History Commission)

BETTER AND BETTER

                                                                                                                                               Special to the Commercial/William Harvey   Sylvia Moore, an assistant manager for the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library, shows off the new service that allows those with a library card to get up to three free music downloads a week. 

Music downloads among library's new offerings
By Rick Joslin
OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF


Patrons of the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library System are benefiting from three recently implemented services.

Director Michael Sawyer said the library now has a web-based automation system through TLC (The Library Corporation) of Inwood, W.VA. The online card catalog system will help in the library's efforts to become a "state-of-the-art" facility. Sawyer had said earlier this year before the new system's arrival that the library was operating 20 years or more behind current capabilities.

Library board members and Sawyer are determined to not only bring the agency up-to-date, but also get an "early start" on the future.

Meanwhile, the library has launched foreign language and downloadable music programs, too.

Sawyer said award-winning Mango Languages was designed by a team that included "linguists teachers, software developers, human interface specialists writers and voice talents" and has received international acclaim.

"Mango Languages contains various courses with an appreciation for cultural nuances and real-world applications that go beyond teaching vocabulary to integrate components of grammar and culture," Sawyer said. "The Mango learning methodology teaches actual conversation, breaking down complex linguistic elements within an audio-visual framework that draws important connections and builds on information the user has already learned.

"Mango continues to expand its language learning offerings, adding more languages and more platforms -- including iPhone and Android apps -- so that more library patrons can benefit," Sawyer said.

The local library has joined the national Library Ideas network of public library web sites offering access to over 7 million songs including Sony Music's catalog of "legendary artists," Sawyer announced.

"The Freegal Music service will allow the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library to increase the size and diversity of its collection by offering access to over 28,000 music labels from 85 different countries," said Sawyer.

Registered card holders of the local library can download up to three Freegal Music tracks per week in the MP3 format at no direct charge via the web site www.pineblufflibrary.org. The Freegal Music Service has free music apps for registered cardholders of subscribing libraries. The apps are available in Apple App Stores and Google Play.

"The library will underwrite the purchase of the music," Sawyer said. "We are very excited to offer a service like this. We think this will be incredibly popular with our patrons and help the library in marketing all its services to the community.