Born in Belmont, MA, in 1915, Hopkins attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) under a full scholarship, earning a BS in 1937.
He returned to the UR Laboratory of Laser Energetics in 1975 as Chief Optical Engineer, a position he held until 1982.
Hopkins was an avid skier for most of his life, a 195 bowler, a competitive horseshoe player in his 70s, and a sometime sailor and golfer.
He also loved and respected the natural world and practiced his conservation ethic on the family property known as Wayland.
He was predeceased by his wife of 60 years, Barbara Ann Barnes, and is survived by 6 children and their spouses, 17 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren.