Editing Doolittle, Missouri (section)

==History==
The town is named for Lt. General [[Jimmy Doolittle]] of [[World War II]] fame who bombed Tokyo in a [[Doolittle Raid|daring raid]], which helped to turn the tide of the war in the [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater|Pacific]]. The settlement was originally called Centertown because it was halfway between [[Rolla, Missouri|Rolla]] and [[Newburg, Missouri|Newburg]]. This name, coined by a local man named Monroe Ramsey, caught on over the years.

The town boomed in the spring of 1941 when construction of [[Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri|Fort Leonard Wood]], 20 miles away, began in earnest due to the war effort. Thousands of workers poured in and slept anywhere they could. In some places, it was said beds never got cold because different shifts shared occupancy. So the two mile stretch which was unofficially called Centertown grew and boomed and a local businessman, Lou Hargis, felt it was time for an incorporated city. The idea of naming the new city after General Doolittle was well-received, along with the idea of having General Doolittle dedicate the town after the war effort.

The original trustees of the town when it was incorporated were Lou Hargis, Mr. Durham (principal of the Newburg High School), Bob Crain (an employee of the Missouri Bureau of Mines, resident of Rolla), and Ike Towell (operator of a local filling station and grocery store). They continued as interim trustees until April 1944 when a general election was held and a mayor and city officials elected. It was those five men who presented themselves at the courthouse "to announce the birth of a town and give it a hero's name."

In 1946, Lt. General Doolittle spoke at the dedication ceremony<ref>A celebration honoring Doolittle's visit, including a re-enactment pageant, was held in the town in June 2014, hosted by Burns Army Surplus. [http://doolittlevictorydays.webs.com/]</ref> in which the town was christened in his honor. Doolittle flew his own [[North American B-25 Mitchell|B-25]] into the airport in [[Vichy, Missouri|Vichy]], fulfilling a promise he had made two years before.<ref>Source: The Story of Doolittle, a history printed on the back of the menu at "Cookin' From Scratch" restaurant at the Doolittle truck stop, commonly accepted in the area as a true history of Doolittle</ref>