Harry Hooper Timeline
1887. August 24. Born at Bell Station, Santa Clara County, California.
1892. December 16. Esther Helen Henchy (wife) born at Hills Ferry, Stanislaus County, California.
1897. Sees and plays in first baseball game on a visit to Pennsylvania.
1902. August. Enrolls in Saint Mary’s College, Oakland, California. Plays on school baseball team.
1906. Parents move to Capitola.
1907. Plays baseball professionally for Alameda (California League) before graduating from Saint Mary's.
1907. Graduates from Saint Mary’s College with degree in engineering.
1907-1908. Plays for Sacramento Senators (on weekends) of the California League. Also works as a surveyor.
1909. Joins the Boston Red Sox.
1912. Boston wins the World Series.
1912. Nov. 26. Marries Esther Henchy at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Capitola.
1913. Plays for Holy Cross Diamond Stars (Santa Cruz City League) in off season.
1914. Marie Hooper (daughter) born.
1915. Boston wins World Series.
c1915. Moves into house on Depot Hill.
1916. Boston wins World Series.
1917. Harry Hooper Jr. (son) born.
1918. Boston wins World Series.
1920. Last season with Boston Red Sox.
1921. Joins Chicago White Sox.
1922. November. Sells pomegranate crop for profit, Sutter County.
1922. John Hooper (son) born.
1924. July. Contributes to newspaper feature: “Little Lessons in Baseball.”
1925. Last season with Chicago.
1926. Opens real estate office at 137 Bay Avenue (now Monterey Avenue) in Capitola.
1926. Purchases 19 acres west of Watsonville, names it Sunset Beach.
1926. Signs petition to make Capitola streets public.
1927. Player and manager for (San Francisco) Mission Bells, Pacific Coast League.
1928. Founding board member of Capitola Improvement Club.
1928. Improvement Club, with Hooper as president, addresses water supply problems.
1929. Subdivides Sunset Beach land.
1930. Plays with the Santa Cruz Padres of the California League.
1930-1931. President of Santa Cruz Rod and Gun Club.
1931. February. Begins efforts to create a fish sanctuary in Monterey Bay.
1931. Plays second year with the Santa Cruz Padres of the California League.
1931. August. Part owner of land sold for creation of Sunset State Beach.
1931 and 1932 seasons. Coaches Princeton University baseball team.
1932. Actively campaigns for Roosevelt for President.
1933. Involved in rebuilding after fire wipes out one block of the Village.
1933. Tours U.S. with Old Timers’ Team. Plays one game at Community Park in Santa Cruz.
1933. Manages Santa Cruz Padres. Plays in some of the games.
1933. Appointed acting Postmaster of Capitola.
1934. January. Fishing in the San Lorenzo River.
1934. Manages Santa Cruz Padres during second half of season.
1934. Appointed Postmaster. Salary: $1,500/year.
1935. Continues effort to create a fish sanctuary in Monterey Bay. Fails to pass Legislature.
1935. June. Argues for allowing dance permit at Capitola’s dance hall.
1935. Favors moving Camp McQuaide out of Capitola.
1936. February. Helps save beach playground equipment from storm waves.
1936. On Board of Directors, Capitola-Soquel Chamber of Commerce.
1937. Advocates life raft for Capitola Beach.
1937. June. Helps with state meeting of postmasters at Casa del Ray Hotel in Santa Cruz.
1937. Capitola Post Office moves to new location.
1938. Reappointed postmaster by Pres. Roosevelt.
1938. Parents celebrate 60th wedding anniversary.
1938. March 31. John J. Henchy, father-in-law, dies.
1939. Plays in Boston at old timers exhibition game; visits New York World's Fair.
1940. Buys "Hooper's Beach" near the Capitola Wharf.
1940. San Francisco and Santa Cruz sportswriters say Hooper should be in Hall of Fame.
1941. Works with other C of C’s to promote county to tourists.
1941. Attends meeting to map out plans for incorporation of Capitola.
1941. Chairman of new club: Capitola Progress Club.
1941. Member of beach committee, Capitola Progress Club.
1941. July. Serves on committee to advise engineers on Capitola flume.
1944. Joseph Hooper, Harry’s father, dies at age 93.
1947. Mary Katherine Hooper, Harry's mother, dies at age 92.
c1949. Guest on “This is Your Life” tribute to Tris Speaker (radio version).
1949. Capitola becomes an incorporated city.
1951. April. Agrees to lease to city the land above “Hooper’s Beach” for a parking lot.
1957. Sept. Retires as Postmaster.
1957. Hooper’s world series hitting streak of 13 games is broken by Hank Bauer
1950s. Bowls regularly at Capitola Bowl.
1962. Goes to old-timers celebrations in Boston and San Francisco. Visits Cooperstown.
1962. Moves to home in the Opal Cliffs neighborhood after 47 years on Depot Hill.
1963. Sept. 13. Enters into agreement with City for erosion control project at “Hooper’s beach.”
1966. Interview published in the popular book The Glory of Their Times by Lawrence S. Ritter.
1969. March 19. Esther H. Hooper dies.
1971. August 9. Inducted into National Baseball Hall of Fame.
1973. Inducted into the Saint Mary's College Athletic Hall of Fame.
1974. December 18. Hooper dies at age 87. Buried in Aptos at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel cemetery.
1984. Sept. 30. Hooper children approach City about selling “Hooper’s Beach.”
1985. June 4. City of Capitola buys “Hooper’s Beach” from Harry Hooper’s family.
1993. Book, Harry Hooper: An American Baseball Life by Paul J. Zingg, is published.
1995. Inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.
2002. Plaque placed on the Capitola Wharf honoring Harry Hooper.
2014. The Capitola Historical Museum hosts a year-long exhibition about Harry Hooper.
1892. December 16. Esther Helen Henchy (wife) born at Hills Ferry, Stanislaus County, California.
1897. Sees and plays in first baseball game on a visit to Pennsylvania.
1902. August. Enrolls in Saint Mary’s College, Oakland, California. Plays on school baseball team.
1906. Parents move to Capitola.
1907. Plays baseball professionally for Alameda (California League) before graduating from Saint Mary's.
1907. Graduates from Saint Mary’s College with degree in engineering.
1907-1908. Plays for Sacramento Senators (on weekends) of the California League. Also works as a surveyor.
1909. Joins the Boston Red Sox.
1912. Boston wins the World Series.
1912. Nov. 26. Marries Esther Henchy at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Capitola.
1913. Plays for Holy Cross Diamond Stars (Santa Cruz City League) in off season.
1914. Marie Hooper (daughter) born.
1915. Boston wins World Series.
c1915. Moves into house on Depot Hill.
1916. Boston wins World Series.
1917. Harry Hooper Jr. (son) born.
1918. Boston wins World Series.
1920. Last season with Boston Red Sox.
1921. Joins Chicago White Sox.
1922. November. Sells pomegranate crop for profit, Sutter County.
1922. John Hooper (son) born.
1924. July. Contributes to newspaper feature: “Little Lessons in Baseball.”
1925. Last season with Chicago.
1926. Opens real estate office at 137 Bay Avenue (now Monterey Avenue) in Capitola.
1926. Purchases 19 acres west of Watsonville, names it Sunset Beach.
1926. Signs petition to make Capitola streets public.
1927. Player and manager for (San Francisco) Mission Bells, Pacific Coast League.
1928. Founding board member of Capitola Improvement Club.
1928. Improvement Club, with Hooper as president, addresses water supply problems.
1929. Subdivides Sunset Beach land.
1930. Plays with the Santa Cruz Padres of the California League.
1930-1931. President of Santa Cruz Rod and Gun Club.
1931. February. Begins efforts to create a fish sanctuary in Monterey Bay.
1931. Plays second year with the Santa Cruz Padres of the California League.
1931. August. Part owner of land sold for creation of Sunset State Beach.
1931 and 1932 seasons. Coaches Princeton University baseball team.
1932. Actively campaigns for Roosevelt for President.
1933. Involved in rebuilding after fire wipes out one block of the Village.
1933. Tours U.S. with Old Timers’ Team. Plays one game at Community Park in Santa Cruz.
1933. Manages Santa Cruz Padres. Plays in some of the games.
1933. Appointed acting Postmaster of Capitola.
1934. January. Fishing in the San Lorenzo River.
1934. Manages Santa Cruz Padres during second half of season.
1934. Appointed Postmaster. Salary: $1,500/year.
1935. Continues effort to create a fish sanctuary in Monterey Bay. Fails to pass Legislature.
1935. June. Argues for allowing dance permit at Capitola’s dance hall.
1935. Favors moving Camp McQuaide out of Capitola.
1936. February. Helps save beach playground equipment from storm waves.
1936. On Board of Directors, Capitola-Soquel Chamber of Commerce.
1937. Advocates life raft for Capitola Beach.
1937. June. Helps with state meeting of postmasters at Casa del Ray Hotel in Santa Cruz.
1937. Capitola Post Office moves to new location.
1938. Reappointed postmaster by Pres. Roosevelt.
1938. Parents celebrate 60th wedding anniversary.
1938. March 31. John J. Henchy, father-in-law, dies.
1939. Plays in Boston at old timers exhibition game; visits New York World's Fair.
1940. Buys "Hooper's Beach" near the Capitola Wharf.
1940. San Francisco and Santa Cruz sportswriters say Hooper should be in Hall of Fame.
1941. Works with other C of C’s to promote county to tourists.
1941. Attends meeting to map out plans for incorporation of Capitola.
1941. Chairman of new club: Capitola Progress Club.
1941. Member of beach committee, Capitola Progress Club.
1941. July. Serves on committee to advise engineers on Capitola flume.
1944. Joseph Hooper, Harry’s father, dies at age 93.
1947. Mary Katherine Hooper, Harry's mother, dies at age 92.
c1949. Guest on “This is Your Life” tribute to Tris Speaker (radio version).
1949. Capitola becomes an incorporated city.
1951. April. Agrees to lease to city the land above “Hooper’s Beach” for a parking lot.
1957. Sept. Retires as Postmaster.
1957. Hooper’s world series hitting streak of 13 games is broken by Hank Bauer
1950s. Bowls regularly at Capitola Bowl.
1962. Goes to old-timers celebrations in Boston and San Francisco. Visits Cooperstown.
1962. Moves to home in the Opal Cliffs neighborhood after 47 years on Depot Hill.
1963. Sept. 13. Enters into agreement with City for erosion control project at “Hooper’s beach.”
1966. Interview published in the popular book The Glory of Their Times by Lawrence S. Ritter.
1969. March 19. Esther H. Hooper dies.
1971. August 9. Inducted into National Baseball Hall of Fame.
1973. Inducted into the Saint Mary's College Athletic Hall of Fame.
1974. December 18. Hooper dies at age 87. Buried in Aptos at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel cemetery.
1984. Sept. 30. Hooper children approach City about selling “Hooper’s Beach.”
1985. June 4. City of Capitola buys “Hooper’s Beach” from Harry Hooper’s family.
1993. Book, Harry Hooper: An American Baseball Life by Paul J. Zingg, is published.
1995. Inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.
2002. Plaque placed on the Capitola Wharf honoring Harry Hooper.
2014. The Capitola Historical Museum hosts a year-long exhibition about Harry Hooper.
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