The Early Years

Jeannette was one of two girls.  Her sister, Susan Hopkins (later Gray), was my mother.  Her mother, Gladys Hopkins (formerly Hull), was a bold woman who taught in an African American high school in the south when she was in her early 20's.  She met her husband, Carleton Hopkins, three days before he was headed off to World War I.  He proposed to her after only 3 days and she accepted so they were engaged while he served in the war.  Carleton Hopkins later became a well-respected high school principal in Camden, New Jersey.  Jeannette's family lived near Camden in a town called Collingswood. 

Here are a couple photos of Jeannette as a child in her college years.



Jeannette is on the left.



Jeannette is on the left, her mother, Gladys, in the middle,
and my mother, Sue, on the right.