At the centennial of statehood in 1916, Indiana lacked a unique state flag. The Indiana DAR led a movement to create one by hosting a state flag competition, and Mooresville watercolorist and John Herron Art Institute instructor Paul Hadley submitted the winning design. The Indiana General Assembly adopted Hadley’s design in 1917, but the public did not widely recognize it at first. Soldiers serving in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam requested flags as a symbol of home. Celebration of Indiana’s sesquicentennial in 1966 further established Hadley’s design as the official state flag and successfully encouraged its wider use and recognition.