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A Matter of Conscience: Redemption of a Hometown Hero, Bobby Hoppe
1:00 a.m., July 20, 1957. Auburn football star Bobby Hoppe was enjoying a beautiful mid-summer night as he headed home from a date with his girlfriend. He certainly wasn t expecting trouble as he drove down the steep, winding road in North Chattanooga. When a darkened car, its headlights off, cruised up behind him, he assumed it was old high school buddies playing a prank. But as the driver pulled alongside and pointed a pistol at his head, Hoppe recognized his sister s ex-lover, a disreputable whiskey runner. A shot was fired, the car fell back, and Hoppe fled for his life. No one in town wanted to believe the hometown hero was a killer, and the authorities turned their heads, allowing the case to become another unsolved homicide. But for Hoppe it was a moment seared into memory, plaguing his conscience constantly. He fled to Auburn, to the football field where he could exorcize his demons by running and hitting, and where his senior leadership helped lead the Tigers to the 1957 national championship. As years passed, Hoppe struggled to appear normal. No one saw into his dark conscience or knew he was always seeking penance, yet never able to forgive himself. In an historic indictment, Hoppe was charged with first-degree murder thirty-one years later, although witnesses had died, police records had been lost, and memories had faded. Bobby Hoppe s demons were exposed to the light and his loved ones saw for the first time what lay hidden behind his stoic mask. Sherry Hoppe knew her husband intimately, they shared a deep love, but until the eve of that fateful indictment she did not know his innermost secret, that Bobby Hoppe had killed a man. Through reliving the dramatic trial, where one of America s great attorneys, Bobby Lee Cook, defended her husband with all the skill and wit he could muster, Sherry Hoppe tells the story of her love and the mystery submerged in Hoppe s conscience as he faced the consequences of that fateful morning in July. In the weeks before his death in 2008, with Bobby s blessing, Sherry began to write his story, pouring through trial transcripts, combing through boxes of old newspaper clippings and interviewing friends, family and witnesses. Fifty years have passed since that traumatic event, and mystery still surrounds Bobby Hoppe, his demons have been banished, but what really happened that night?
370 pages, Hardcover
First published September 27, 2010
7 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Sherry L. Hoppe
16 books6 followersAfter almost 20 years as a college and university president, Sherry Lee Hoppe retired as president from Austin Peay State University (TN) in 2007. Today, she works fulltime writing. A MATTER OF CONSCIENCE: Redemption of a hometown hero, Bobby Hoppe, takes readers inside her husband's historic trial for first-degree murder, giving a glimpse of "the man behind the mask." Man's conscience runs the gamut in the book, from the self-inflicted torture of the protagonist to the twisted ethics of a Baptist preacher who reveals a sacred confidence. A subtle love story woven throughout the book reveals why Sherry and her husband pledged to love each other 'til the 12th of Never. And, a surprise ending will astound even people who attended the 1988 trial.
Hoppe's next book, SIPS OF SUSTENANCE released May 2011. Hoppe writes about the experience of losing her husband and she shares her wisdom. She explains the grieving process to help those struggling as well as setting up guideposts for the reader to better understand their climb from the abyss.
FACES OF GRIEF, is scheduled for release by Wakestone Press in June 2011.
http://www.wakestonepress.com
Hoppe's next book, SIPS OF SUSTENANCE released May 2011. Hoppe writes about the experience of losing her husband and she shares her wisdom. She explains the grieving process to help those struggling as well as setting up guideposts for the reader to better understand their climb from the abyss.
FACES OF GRIEF, is scheduled for release by Wakestone Press in June 2011.
http://www.wakestonepress.com
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 25, 2018
Widow of former local and Southeastern Conference football star Bobby Hoppe tells the story of his trial for the self-defense killing of a man in 1957. Although much of the material is the trial transcript, and the paraphrasing of it, she also details his high school and college football exploits. Since the event took place in Chattanooga, where I live, and details people and places with which I'm familiar, I probably relate to it more than the average reader would. Although I remember the 1988 trial, and vaguely remembered the outcome, I had forgotten most of the details, so it was good to relive.
July 26, 2017
Interesting since it took place in my hometown. I have it an extra star for that alone.
April 5, 2011
This review will be published in Tennessee Libraries.
Imagine what you would do in this circumstance. You have fired a gun at the driver of a moving car. The car crashes. Do you continue driving? Bobby Hoppe did. When you find out the driver is dead the next morning, do you turn yourself in to the authorities? Bobby Hoppe waited nearly thirty-one years to do so. Readers of this memoir are informed of these facts soon after opening the book. What may appear to be a fairly simple story at the outset becomes very muddled toward the end. Public libraries throughout Tennessee and beyond will have no trouble finding readers for this tale.
An All-American high school football player for Chattanooga’s Central High, Bobby fired a gun on July 20, 1957. A few months later he helped Auburn win its first national championship on the gridiron. This poignant memoir provides insight into why Bobby Hoppe did not turn himself into the authorities until he was indicted for murder.
Since the author is the protagonist’s widow, readers should not expect a nonbiased memoir and certainly do not receive one. A tad melodramatic at times – “even the songs of tree frogs or an owl’s hoot on a nearby hill were muffled” the night in July 1957 – the memoir covers Hoppe’s glory days, his guilty conscience, the fascinating trial, the trial’s outcome, and his death two weeks after work on the book began. Readers should not expect a run-of-the-mill true crime book. The authors do not attribute any positive traits to the shooting victim, Don Hudson, and Hudson’s criminal activities allow the authors to explore the bootlegging culture. Sympathy is felt for the victim’s family, but the amount of sympathy they are given pales in comparison to the praise given to Hoppe’s accomplishments and to the testaments provided of Hoppe’s agony.
The trial received attention in the local, regional, and national media. However, even those familiar with the story are likely to find one or more surprises in this tale. Bobby Hoppe is a tragic hero, and trial witnesses and lawyers are captivating characters as well. This memoir will appeal to a variety of readers; those who enjoy football, true crime, law, love stories, and mysteries. Baby Boomers will no doubt feel nostalgic by the descriptions of long gone eras and the references to cultural pleasures. Literary references pepper the entire story, and, for those unfamiliar with the story, two plot twists season the ending. As is often the case in the best of stories, questions remain unanswered at the end. Perhaps Hoppe now knows the answers to some of them.
Imagine what you would do in this circumstance. You have fired a gun at the driver of a moving car. The car crashes. Do you continue driving? Bobby Hoppe did. When you find out the driver is dead the next morning, do you turn yourself in to the authorities? Bobby Hoppe waited nearly thirty-one years to do so. Readers of this memoir are informed of these facts soon after opening the book. What may appear to be a fairly simple story at the outset becomes very muddled toward the end. Public libraries throughout Tennessee and beyond will have no trouble finding readers for this tale.
An All-American high school football player for Chattanooga’s Central High, Bobby fired a gun on July 20, 1957. A few months later he helped Auburn win its first national championship on the gridiron. This poignant memoir provides insight into why Bobby Hoppe did not turn himself into the authorities until he was indicted for murder.
Since the author is the protagonist’s widow, readers should not expect a nonbiased memoir and certainly do not receive one. A tad melodramatic at times – “even the songs of tree frogs or an owl’s hoot on a nearby hill were muffled” the night in July 1957 – the memoir covers Hoppe’s glory days, his guilty conscience, the fascinating trial, the trial’s outcome, and his death two weeks after work on the book began. Readers should not expect a run-of-the-mill true crime book. The authors do not attribute any positive traits to the shooting victim, Don Hudson, and Hudson’s criminal activities allow the authors to explore the bootlegging culture. Sympathy is felt for the victim’s family, but the amount of sympathy they are given pales in comparison to the praise given to Hoppe’s accomplishments and to the testaments provided of Hoppe’s agony.
The trial received attention in the local, regional, and national media. However, even those familiar with the story are likely to find one or more surprises in this tale. Bobby Hoppe is a tragic hero, and trial witnesses and lawyers are captivating characters as well. This memoir will appeal to a variety of readers; those who enjoy football, true crime, law, love stories, and mysteries. Baby Boomers will no doubt feel nostalgic by the descriptions of long gone eras and the references to cultural pleasures. Literary references pepper the entire story, and, for those unfamiliar with the story, two plot twists season the ending. As is often the case in the best of stories, questions remain unanswered at the end. Perhaps Hoppe now knows the answers to some of them.
January 17, 2015
The book has an excellent premise...because it's true. The life and times of Bobby Hoppe is one of those moments where clearly real life is far better than fiction; or in his case, more interesting. Sherry Hoppe, his now widow, tells his story through her memory of what it was like to live with and love this man tormented by a secret that ravaged him for years.
The prose is well written and the court transcripts are told in great detail (sometimes too much, but I assume necessary). I cannot fathom living with this kind of burden for as long as they both did. They only portion of the text I took some umbrage with were the unnecessary literary quotes. They are sprinkled throughout the book and if one was not well-read, they would have not made sense. There are times, in the context of the full story quoted, they actually did not make sense. I appreciate the author's knowledge of literature, but felt it did not enhance the story of her late husband.
The novel:
In July on 1957, Bobby Hoppe was home from Auburn enjoying some time off from his legacy football stardom. He'd been out on date and was heading home when a dark car encroached on him in the night. At first he thought it was some of his old friends just being "boys" but when the drive aimed a pistol at him, the night took a devastating turn. The man with the gun was his sister's former - a well known whiskey runner at the time. Shots were fired and the rest becomes history. In fear, Hoppe fled the scene, but thirty one years later, his past resurfaced in a indictment for first-degree murder. Considering the amount of time that had passed, witnesses were scarce (if alive), police records misplaced, and memories faded like sun-bleached chairs in the summer sun.
Sherry and Bobby Hoppe had to reveal the secret they'd lived with for years: Bobby Hoppe, despite his football fame and beloved coach reputation, had killed a man in 1957.
The novel tells the story of what really happened that night...and a ending that shocks the nation.
The prose is well written and the court transcripts are told in great detail (sometimes too much, but I assume necessary). I cannot fathom living with this kind of burden for as long as they both did. They only portion of the text I took some umbrage with were the unnecessary literary quotes. They are sprinkled throughout the book and if one was not well-read, they would have not made sense. There are times, in the context of the full story quoted, they actually did not make sense. I appreciate the author's knowledge of literature, but felt it did not enhance the story of her late husband.
The novel:
In July on 1957, Bobby Hoppe was home from Auburn enjoying some time off from his legacy football stardom. He'd been out on date and was heading home when a dark car encroached on him in the night. At first he thought it was some of his old friends just being "boys" but when the drive aimed a pistol at him, the night took a devastating turn. The man with the gun was his sister's former - a well known whiskey runner at the time. Shots were fired and the rest becomes history. In fear, Hoppe fled the scene, but thirty one years later, his past resurfaced in a indictment for first-degree murder. Considering the amount of time that had passed, witnesses were scarce (if alive), police records misplaced, and memories faded like sun-bleached chairs in the summer sun.
Sherry and Bobby Hoppe had to reveal the secret they'd lived with for years: Bobby Hoppe, despite his football fame and beloved coach reputation, had killed a man in 1957.
The novel tells the story of what really happened that night...and a ending that shocks the nation.
October 20, 2010
I've always loved reading mysteries, starting with Nancy Drew in the 3rd grade I suppose. Then beginning in middle school I developed a sort of addiction to political and sports hero biographies. Those two genre remain my favorites. So, to combine the two was very fascinating reading for me. This true crime story, based primarily on court transcripts, reads with the intensity and suspense of a thrilling novel.
Although I had no prior knowledge of the book's content (and was I ever surprised!), reading a courtroom drama that included someone I actually knew was riveting. Once the trial sections began, I was nearly overwhelmed with compassion for Sherry Hoppe. She is one of the most consistently positive people I've ever been privileged to work with, whom I first met in 2000 when she Austin Peay State University. I struggled a bit in my own mind and heart with how she could possibly have gone through all that she did and remained so positive on the other side of it. I suppose when one endures and survives a life-trial like the Hoppe's did, one learns to be thankful for, and appreciate, each day for what it is.
As much as this is a mystery and biography, it is first and foremost a love story...and, what a beautiful one. I certainly felt Sherry's love for Bobby and had a very strong sense throughout the book of his for her. She speaks so often about her husband's courage, but she, too, demonstrates admirable courage in telling this story.
Although I had no prior knowledge of the book's content (and was I ever surprised!), reading a courtroom drama that included someone I actually knew was riveting. Once the trial sections began, I was nearly overwhelmed with compassion for Sherry Hoppe. She is one of the most consistently positive people I've ever been privileged to work with, whom I first met in 2000 when she Austin Peay State University. I struggled a bit in my own mind and heart with how she could possibly have gone through all that she did and remained so positive on the other side of it. I suppose when one endures and survives a life-trial like the Hoppe's did, one learns to be thankful for, and appreciate, each day for what it is.
As much as this is a mystery and biography, it is first and foremost a love story...and, what a beautiful one. I certainly felt Sherry's love for Bobby and had a very strong sense throughout the book of his for her. She speaks so often about her husband's courage, but she, too, demonstrates admirable courage in telling this story.
June 12, 2011
This true life story of Bobby Hoppe is much more than a true-crime story, or a true-legal story. Yes it tells us about hometown football hero, Bobby Hoppe and the terrible secret that he has lived with for 31 years. Yes, we get an up close and personal look at famous defense attorney Bobby Lee Cox, but we also get the story of true love and of a couple that truly live for each other. Bobby Hoppe has had to face up to the fact that he indeed killed a man 31 years ago, and he has admitted this to his wife, finally. Sherry stands behind him every step of the way through the grand jury "vois dire" and the first degree murder trial that Bobby has been forced to endure. It is a story of one man's strength and constancy while hiding his innermost demons, and it is a story of a young football player who was so extremely talented that he could have gone very far as a professional, if he hadn't had this horrific act dogging him every step of the way. He finds a rewarding life as a coach and mentor and he finds strength through his strong bond with his wife. Yes, there is a lot that is covered in this book, and it written with love, humour and gives us a picture of a wife standing alongside her man throughout all. It is an extremely well-written book.
June 8, 2011
I skimmed a lot of the football highlights. But overall this is a very well researched, well written book. I don't know that I would have ever picked it up if my family didn't know the author and her family, but I'm glad I had a chance to read it.
Read
September 9, 2011What I brought away from this book was the total devotion the author had for her husband. It provided a different perspective of a woman I only knew on a professional level.
February 17, 2011
True Crime at it's best!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews