Sac History Happenings: Jimmy Doolittle Tribute honors 70th anniversary of famous WWII raid

Sac History Happenings

News and developments in Sacramento and California history

May 1, 2012

Jimmy Doolittle Tribute honors 70th anniversary of famous WWII raid

Seventy years ago a squadron of B-25 bombers staged a daring raid on Japan in the early months of World War II following Pearl Harbor. To commemorate that amazing operation, a tribute will be held this Saturday for its commander, James Doolittle, one of California's best-known pioneer aviators and war heroes.

The USS Hornet Museum in partnership with the Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum will host the day-long celebration. Festivities include appearances by three of the five surviving Raiders, veterans of the USS Hornet (CV-8) and others involved in the rescue of the airmen in China. There will also be a presentation by Doolittle's granddaughter and biographer Jonna Doolittle Hoppes.

Among the honored guests attending the tribute is Lincoln resident Richard Nowatzki who served on the Hornet from before it was commissioned in October 1941 until it was sunk in October 1942 during the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands.

What: A Tribute to Jimmy Doolittle
Where: USS Hornet Museum, 707 W Hornet Ave, Pier 3, Alameda
When: May 5, 10 to 4 p.m. Special presentation at 1 p.m. Fundraising dinner, 5 to 9 p.m.
Cost: $15 adults; $12 seniors, military and students; $6 youth 5-17; children under 5 free with paying adult. $100 per person dinner (reservations required).
For more info: (510) 521-8448 or website

PHOTO CREDIT: Four survivors of the April 17, 1942 bombing raid on Tokyo, Japan, led by Jimmy Doolittle, pose for photographs in front of a B-25 bomber at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. 2010 Dayton Daily News photograph by Mike Ullery. (Bottom) Lincoln resident Richard Nowatzki who served on the USS Hornet during World War II. Courtesy USS Hornet Museum.

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California and Sacramento have a long, rich, vibrant history. And our region is blessed with an abundance of historical resources maintained by museums, libraries, archives and societies. This blog aims to alert readers to the latest developments in local/state historical education and research.

Send tips concerning upcoming exhibits, tours, lectures and meetings, as well as new books, magazine articles and online collections to the blog's contributors.

The Contributors:

Michael Dolgushkin

Michael Dolgushkin is Manuscript Librarian at the California State Library History Section. He is co-author of San Francisco's California Street Cable Cars and is a frequent contributor to the California State Library Foundation Bulletin. Contact him at mdolgushkin@library.ca.gov.

Amanda Graham is a Certified Archivist working in the Sacramento Room of the Sacramento Public Library. She earned a BS in History from Southern Oregon University and a MS in Information Studies with an emphasis in archives from The University of Texas at Austin. Contact her at agraham@saclibrary.org.

Pete Basofin is Director of Editorial Research at The Sacramento Bee. He previously worked at The St. Petersburg Times and Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune. Contact him at pbasofin@sacbee.com.

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