Elmira's connection with Paul Tibbets Jr. and the Enola Gay

On June 26, 1940, young pilot Lt. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., was summoned to aid Col. Samuel R. Hopkins, whose wife and son were in a terrible automobil...

January 13, 2023
8:04 AM

On June 26, 1940, young pilot Lt. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., was summoned to aid Col. Samuel R. Hopkins, whose wife and son were in a terrible automobile accident near Elmira. Mrs. Anne Hopkins, and her 17-year-old son, Archie, were traveling en route from Madison Barracks in Sackets Harbor, New York, to Gainesville, Florida. The accident occurred on the Elmira-Ithaca highway (where the roundabout crosses Old Ithaca Road today) during a rainstorm. The car skidded and hit a tree, almost instantly killing Mrs.

Diane Janowski