State flag finalist 1: RELATIONSHIP TO ILLINOIS: In the fall of 2004, I lived in Chicago and was studying industrial design at UIC. My great grandfather, Harry James McCartney was an engraver in Chicago. He worked downtown at the Sears, Roebuck and Co where he illustrated and engraved images of lamps, heaters, and other household accessories that were printed on the pages of the Sears mail-order catalogue. His father was James A. McCartney, a civil war veteran from Illinois. He became the IL Attorney General from 1881-1885. EXPLAIN THE MEANING BEHIND YOUR FLAG: The 21 red + white stripes represent Illinois as the 21st state of this union. The blue field with the six-pointed white star represents Chicago. The negative space between the blue and white fields form the shape of an I to represent Illinois. (Photo provided by Capitol News Illinois)