Introduction

Many Elon College students and alumni served in uniform during the Second World War, and thirty-two of these men and women are known to have perished during the conflict.  Among them was Dewey G. Hooper, a 1940 graduate of Elon.  His story is an example of the service and sacrifice that was typical of those who were part of the generation which served during World War II, often referred to as “The Greatest Generation.”  2022 is the 80th anniversary of Hooper's tragic death.  He deployed to the Pacific Theater and died in a plane crash in a remote area of Australia in 1942. 

A half-century later, an Australian man named Ron Deering was exploring the wreckage of the aircraft and found Dewey Hooper's 1940 Elon College class ring.  Deering contacted Elon; college employees got in touch with Hooper's siblings to tell them of the find.  The ring and other items from the crash site were brought home to the family.

This exhibit tells the story of Hooper's life, upbringing, military service, and the circumstances of his death.  The exhibit also recounts Mr. Deering's finding of the class ring and Elon's efforts to get in touch with Hooper's family to let them know of the find.  Images of the ring, Dewey's personal affects, and artifacts recovered from the crash site conclude the exhibit.

The documents, photographs, and artifacts featured in this exhibit are from the Dewey Hooper Collection, Mss.Coll.011, as well as a handful of online sources.  The collection is housed in the Elon University Archives & Special Collections, located in the Carol Grotnes Belk Library.

Click on any image in the exhibit to see more information about the featured item.  When viewing the information page for the item, click on the magnifying glass icon in the top right-hand corner to zoom in.  The exhibit can be explored by the navigation links on each page, or the arrows found at the bottom of each article.