Dewey Hooper Collection

This collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material, and then into seven series. Where applicable, within each series the materials are arranged chronologically. The seven series are: Artifact; Books; Correspondence; Lists; Literary Productions; Photographs; Printed Material. Most of the materials in this collection pertain to Dewey Hooper as a student at Elon College during 1939 and 1940 and as a member of the US Army Air Forces Reserve during the early stages of WWII.

One of the larger series in the collection, Artifact, contains only three dimensional artifacts. Primarily the artifacts are from Dewey Hooper's service in the US Military, including items from the "Texas Terror" plane crash on Hinchinbrook Island (Great Barrier Reef) on December 18, 1942 (1:1-1:3, 1:6-1:15) . The other artifacts in this series are representative of his days as a student at Elon College (1:4, 1:5).

There are only two items in the Books series, reflecting Dewey Hooper's time as a teacher and as a pilot. The grade book includes the subjects he taught, the student's names, and the grades they made (2:1). On the other hand, the pilot log book contains the areas where Dewey Hooper flew, the date of the flight, the make of the aircraft, and other miscellaneous notes and remarks (2:2).

The Correspondence series includes materials that discuss the "Texas Terror" plane crash in December of 1942, as well as some basic biographical information about Dewey Hooper (3:2-3:5). Two of the smallest series in this collection, Lists and Literary Productions, contain information only relating to the plane crash on Hinchinbrook Island in December of 1942. The Lists series includes a list that mentions what diaries are housed in the archives at Maxwell Field, Alabama and the names of the individual's part of the crew on the plane (4:1). The Literary Productions series contains a detailed reminiscence of the events surrounding the plane crash (5:1).

Another large series in the collection, Photographs, includes black and white, color, and negative prints that either reflect something about Elon College or the "Texas Terror" plane crash in December of 1942.

The largest series in the collection, Printed Materials, contains a variety of materials. This series is primarily made up of newspaper clippings (from various newspapers) and booklets (published by the Eastman Kodak Company) (7:3-7:7, 7:13-7:18). Other items include certificates, awards, and magazine articles (7:1, 7:2, 7:9-7:12). The "Texas Terror" was a B 24 Liberator Bomber, numbered 123825 that crashed into Mt. Straloch on Hinchinbrook Island (part of the Great Barrier Reef) on December 18, 1942. Members on the aircraft were part or the 90th Bomb Group. The plane had taken off at 0815 hour from Garbutt Field in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Dewey Glenn Hooper was the co-pilot aboard the "Texas Terror" when it crashed. For more detailed accounts and information see the following series and folders: 3:3, 3:4, 4:1, 5:1, 6:9, 7:1, and 7:13-7:18.