Robert J. Hooper is an "accidental author". Tasked with preserving the collected poetry, plays, and short stories of his Great Aunt Grace Duncan Hooper, Robert was persuaded by a publisher/editor to take Grace's works and write her story. With the help of other family memorabilia and research through internet engines such as newspaper.com, Robert's first book became a published reality, entitled Finding Grace, Meandering through the Life and Writings of Grace Duncan Hooper.
Grace's story fostered a second book involving her mother and like-minded wealthy New York women poised to provide comfort, learning, and temporary shelter for a forgotten group of New York's youngest poor: young girls left to mind their younger siblings while one or both parents worked.
These "little mothers," as they were known, would soon be given substantial support by caring women who formed the Little Mother's Aid Association. Robert's second book, Born to Responsibility, tells this story.
While now working on a third related book, Robert enjoys time with family and friends and is active in a local senior center. Robert is a retired lawyer from Tempe, Arizona, now happily living in Hickory, North Carolina, with his wife and best friend, Ellen. Their son, Matthew, lives and teaches in Boston.