Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project: Part II: Interview with Vernon Hopson

Titles: Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project: Part II: Interview with Vernon Hopson (Supplied title)

Description: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Vernon Hopson was born in Lee County, Texas to an African American family. Despite segregation, he completed high school. Enlisting in the army, he applied for flight training and was selected for training in Tuskegee, Alabama. Trained as a fighter pilot, he graduated too late to participate in the war in Europe. After leaving the army briefly, he reenlisted in the Air Force and worked in air traffic control around the world until 1962. After his military retirement he worked as a civilian air traffic controller first in Chicago and then in Minneapolis when he moved to Minnesota in 1969. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Life and growing up in rural segregated Texas during the 1920s and 1930s; working hard with a strong supportive family to overcome prejudice and discrimination to do well in school and become a fighter pilot; training and service as a pilot and air traffic controller; building a successful post World War II career in and out of the military despite racial discrimination.

Dates

• 11/29/2006 (Creation)

Creation

• interviewee: Hopson, Vernon
• interviewer: Bekke, Douglas

Identifiers

• Library Call Number: OH 115
• Accession Number: AV2008.26.15

Holding Type: Oral History - Interview

Project

• Oral History - Project, MHS Collection, project: 'Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project: Part II' <OH 115>

Quantity: 3 hours sound cassettes 180 pages transcript

Format

• Content Category: sound recordings
• Content Category: text

Measurements

• 180 minutes length

Subjects

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