John D. Hopper (1923-1996)

John Hopper was born in 1923 in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, and attended Camp Hill High School. In 1941, he entered nearby Dickinson College in Carlisle as a member of the class of 1945. In his second semester, he volunteered to join the Army Air Corps at the encouragement of his roommate, Vincent Schafmeister. He served as a fighter pilot in the European theater of war. He returned in 1945 as a sophomore and graduated in 1948. He was well involved in the College, being a member of many organizations, such as the Beta Theta Phi fraternity, Omicron Delta Kappa honors society, and Raven's Claw. He was also an outstanding varsity basketball player, and in 1972 was inducted into the Dickinson Sports Hall of Fame.

After Dickinson, though he had an offer to play professional basketball with the St. Louis Bombers, John Hopper decided to go to Dickinson Law School, earning his degree in 1951. He then went on to work for Equitable of Iowa, a life insurance company, in 1952. Later, he earned his Chartered Life Underwriter degree from the American College of Life Underwriters and established the John D. Hopper and Associates company in 1958. John Hopper is perhaps best known for his service in the Pennsylvania State Senate. He was elected in 1977 as a Republican Party representative of the 31st District (Camp Hill), and served till his retirement in 1992. A member of various Senate committees, including the Judiciary, Community and Economic Development, Labor and Industry, Military and Veterans Affairs, and Public Health and Welfare, he was known throughout the Senate for his directness and "black or white" perception of conflicts.

In his freshman year at Dickinson he had met his wife Ann Bowman and married her before leaving for overseas war assignments. They had four children. John Hopper died on June 12, 1996.