Jonna Doolittle Hoppes
Jonna Doolittle Hoppes by a PT-17 Stearman in 2011
Jonna Doolittle Hoppes by a
PT-17 Stearman in 2011
BornJonna Doolittle
OccupationAuthor, Educator
NationalityAmerican
RelativesJimmy Doolittle (Grandfather)
Website
jonnadoolittlehoppes.com

Jonna Doolittle Hoppes (born Jonna Doolittle) is an American author whose works include oral histories and biographies. The granddaughter of aviation pioneer and United States Air Force General, Jimmy Doolittle, she is a speaker and represents the Doolittle family at events throughout the world. Hoppes' works celebrate the veterans and civilians who defended their countries and document their stories that would otherwise be lost.

Early life

Hoppes was born the second of John and Priscilla Doolittle's five children.[1][2][3] Her father, one of James H. Doolittle's two sons,[4] is a retired USAF colonel who flew combat missions in both the Korean War and Vietnam War.[5] Her siblings include older sister, Jody, younger sister, Penny, and twin brothers, Peter and Patrick.[6][7]

I grew up with 79 uncles in addition to the ones I really had.

- Jonna Doolittle Hoppes referring to the Doolittle Raiders[8]

During her childhood, she spent many hours with her grandparents, whom she called Granny and Gramps, when they lived in San Francisco and later in Los Angeles, California. The Doolittle Raiders, who flew with her grandfather on the 1942 mission to bomb Tokyo, were part of her extended family and she would sometimes attend their yearly reunions.[9] Raiders, such as historian Colonel Carroll. V. Glines, became important figures in Hoppes' life. Glines would later write the foreword to her book, Calculated Risk.[10]

Career

Educator and author

Hoppes works at the 61st Mission Support Squadron's Educational Office - a unit of the 61st Air Base Group stationed at the Los Angeles Air Force Base.[5] She started her first book in response to the film, Pearl Harbor, to correct inaccuracies about her grandfather's character and actions during World War II.[9] Actor Alec Baldwin initially portrayed Doolittle as an ill-tempered man prone to using profanity, but the depiction was corrected after Hoppes presented the family's objections.[11] Although Calculated Risk presented the achievements of Jimmy Doolittle, the book also included many details about the family such as Doolittle's wife of 71 years, Josephine Daniels. One reviewer described the book as "an ode to her grandmother,"[2] whom Hoppes herself described as a woman with the patience of a saint who was the rudder of Doolittle's life.[12] Calculated Risk received positive reviews from a number of trade publications including Library Journal,[13] Publishers Weekly,[14] and Booklist.[15]

Hoppes' fulfilled her passion for meeting people of the Greatest Generation and hearing the stories of their service. Her second book, Just Doing My Job, is a collection of such stories to educate the public and to document the personal reflections for future generations. A review by Publishers Weekly found a story about Japanese-American soldier, Dick Hamada, who worked for the Office of Strategic Services intelligence agency "particularly fascinating."[16] Hoppes called for veterans of all conflicts to record their stories using programs such as the Veterans History Project.[17] We Represented All Women, Hoppes' account of Violet “Vi” Cowden of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), appeared on the Air & Space/Smithsonian website in June 2009.[18]

Hoppes is working on a third book that will include interviews with other World War II veterans including Major General Johnny Alison.[19] As of 2013, Hoppes serves on the board of directors for the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa, Idaho,[20] and the Air Force Historical Foundation.[21]

Television

Hoppes provided insight to a number of television programs. In 2007, she appeared in From Vengeance to Forgiveness, the story of Corporal Jake DeShazer, a Doolittle Raider who was captured by the Japanese. Although he suffered years of abuse at the hands of his captors, DeShazer later forgave his enemies and returned to Japan as a missionary.[22] In 2008, Hoppes appeared on The History Channel's Man, Moment, Machine series that described historical events in the context of the key person involved, the machine used by that person, and the outcome of the moment. In the episode Doolittle's Daring Raid, Hoppes described her grandfather's childhood and love of flying.[23] She also described the despair her grandfather felt when he thought the raid on Japan had failed.[24]

Presentations

Hoppes speaking at the Fantasy of Flight's Officer's Club in 2011

Hoppes began giving presentations to ensure the memory of her grandfather was accurately portrayed.[17] She has since presented many lectures at events throughout the United States and Europe:

Personal life

As of 2011, Hoppes lives in Newport Beach, California.[11] She has two adult daughters, Stacy and Shawna.[29]

List of works

  • Calculated Risk: The Extraordinary Life of Jimmy Doolittle. Santa Monica Press, 2005. ISBN 1-891661-44-2.
  • Just Doing My Job: Stories of Service from World War II. Santa Monica Press. 2009. ISBN 1-595800-42-5.
  • Just Doing My Job, Too, forthcoming sequel to Just Doing My Job (as of 2013)[30]

Honors

On January 14, 2010, Hoppes received the "Content of their Character" award at the Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon celebration held in Los Angeles, California. The award honors individuals who realize King's dream of educating and empowering others around them.[31] The award takes its name from King's "I Have a Dream" speech delivered on August 28, 1963, that includes the line, "I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."[32]

Citations

  1. ↑ Rodriguez, Nicole (November 3, 2011). "Granddaughter Preserves Jimmy Doolittle's Legacy During Speech in Stuart". TCPalm. Stuart, Florida: Scripps Newspaper Group. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Rife (2006).
  3. ↑ Doolittle & Glines 1991, p. 522
  4. ↑ Doolittle & Glines 1991, p. 65
  5. 1 2 Tezuka, P. A. (March 9, 2007). "Members of the Doolittle Raiders Share Precious Memories with Base Personnel". Los Angeles Air Force Base: United States Air Force. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  6. ↑ Hoppes 2005, p. 307
  7. ↑ Doolittle & Glines 1991, p. 207
  8. 1 2 Thanawala, Sudhin (May 5, 2012). "Doolittle's Raiders recall bold WWII mission". Air Force Times. Springfield, Virginia: Gannett Government Media Corporation. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  9. 1 2 Barnes (2007).
  10. ↑ Hoppes 2005, pp. 9–11
  11. 1 2 Christenson, Sig (November 10, 2011). "Doolittle's Kin on Mission to Save History". San Antoinio Express-News. New York, New York: Hearst Communications. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
  12. ↑ Hoppes 2005, pp. 15–16
  13. ↑ Edmonds, Anthony O. (June 15, 2005). "Review of Calculated Risk". New York City, New York: Library Journal. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Review of Calculated Risk". New York City, New York: Publishers Weekly. March 21, 2005. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  15. ↑ Cohen, George (2005). Review of Calculated Risk (fee required). Chicago, Illinois: American Library Association. Retrieved February 10, 2013 – via Booklist.
  16. ↑ "Review of Just Doing My Job". New York City, New York: Publishers Weekly. May 4, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
  17. 1 2 Brantley, Senior Airman Brigitte N. (October 19, 2011). "'To me, he was just Gramps'". Moody Air Force Base: United States Air Force. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  18. ↑ Hoppes, Jonna Doolittle (June 22, 2009). "We Represented All Women". Washington, D. C.: Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Global Warfare Symposium" (PDF). Arlington, Virginia: Air Force Association. November 18, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 6, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Contact Us". Nampa, Idaho: Warhawk Air Museum. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Board of Directors". Clinton, Maryland: Air Force Historical Foundation. Archived from the original on February 12, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  22. ↑ Day of Discovery (2007), Event occurs at 2:43.
  23. ↑ History (2008), Event occurs at 9:47.
  24. ↑ History (2008), Event occurs at 39:50.
  25. ↑ "Growing up with Gen. James Doolittle". Washington D.C.: National Air and Space Museum. April 6, 2006. Archived from the original on February 17, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  26. ↑ "Doolittle Returns to Bassingbourn". Hertfordshire, England: Tower Museum. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
  27. ↑ "Global Warfare Symposium". Arlington, Virginia: Air Force Association. October 26, 2009. Archived from the original on December 6, 2010. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  28. ↑ "Wings of Valor Gala" (PDF). Travis Air Force Base: Jimmy Doolittle Air and Space Museum. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  29. ↑ Hoppes 2005, p. 9
  30. ↑ http://jonnadoolittlehoppes.com/home.html Archived 2013-09-09 at the Wayback Machine Author's Official Website
  31. ↑ Wilson 2010, p. 3
  32. ↑ Cameron & Green 2012, p. 160

General sources

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