NEWS: O.D. Hopkins, ride supplier, dies at 83

[jedimaster1227]

http://www.amusementtoday.com/

 

Amusement industry pioneer O.D. Hopkins died peacefully in East Blue Hill, Maine on April 3, 2010. He was 83.

 

Born in 1926 in Beijing, China to Delnoce and Robert Hopkins, O.D. moved with his family to New Jersey when he was two. From an early age he exuded creative ambition and self confidence.

 

He started out as a farmer and then went on to prove himself proficient in logging, road and bridge contracting, pre-poured concrete, ski lift erection and later in life, amusement ride design and construction.

 

He is probably most well known for his 1969-formed company, O.D. Hopkins Associates, Inc. O.D. Hopkins Associates, Inc. is best known for suppling SkyGliders and water rides to small family-owned amusement parks but built for the major theme park chains as well. Along with five steel looping roller coasters, the firm designed and/or was involved with well known attractions such as Disneyland's Splash Mountain, The Mall of America’s Paul Bunyon Log Flume, Warner Brothers Movieland Log Ride in Australia and hundreds of other rides in the U.S., Japan, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, Phillipines, Mexico, Canada, South Africa, Italy, France and The United Kingdom.

 

Hopkins' lifelong friend and business associate Jerry Pendleton remembers his mentor with fondness: "O.D. and I had a very unique relationship. We rarely disagreed on things, and I knew that it never paid to argue much with him because 99 percent of the time he was right. He told me once that my job was to be the front man as he was more than content to design things and that was how we functioned for many years. When I think back to those early years of pumping septic tanks, driving truck, operating backhoes and working with him on mountains, I realize how fortunate I was to have met the man who taught me to drive a tractor and gave me a lifetime education in so many things."

 

O.D. Hopkins is survived by his wife, Hope, along with five children and 11 grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. at the East Blue Hill Community Church in Maine.

[haux]

That's sad. I just rode his first roller coaster on Saturday.

[triggernel]

The second loop on Texas Tornado was always one of my favorite elements for pictures.

[ebl]

I wonder what "O.D." stood for? Those initials remind me of the time I met a distant family relative in Texas by the name of D.L. [surname omitted for privacy]. I asked him, "What does 'D.L.' stand for?" He replied, "D.L." You ask a silly question...

 

My coaster track record is still in the double digits, but I have not ever ridden one of Hopkins' coasters. Here in the U.S. there aren't that many (I can only think of four off the top of my head), but two of them are only a few hours' drive from me (in Phoenix), so I should make the effort to add them to my count.

 

Eric

[squirrelnut1416]

Man, that's sad to hear. I'll forever miss splashwater falls up at SFGAm. I'll have to ride yankee clipper/loggers run in his honor.

[coasterfreaksrttd]

 

Dragon at adventureland

[nln00b]

R.I.P.

 

I have ridden a few of his coasters before. This is sad.

[the ghost]

It always sucks when a prominant roller coaster designer dies. It is kind of freaky to think of how old some of the roller coaster designers are. Ron Toomer will be eighty yeas old next month and I dont know how old Walter and Claude are, but all of these people will he HUGE deals. I hope to get a ride on a Hopkins coaster at some point, he was a classic and great designe.