Doolittle was born in Alameda, California. He spent his youth in Nome, Alaska where he earned a reputation as a boxer. His parents were Frank Henry Doolittle and Rosa (Rose) Cerenah Shephard. By 1910, Jimmy Doolittle was attending school in Los Angeles. When his school attended the 1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet at Dominguez Field Doolittle saw his first airplane. He attended Los Angeles City College after graduating from Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles. He later won admission to the University of California, Berkeley where he studied in The School of Mines. He was a member of Theta Kappa Nu fraternity. Doolittle took a leave of absence in October 1917 to enlist in the Signal Corps Reserve as a flying cadet. He did his ground training at the University of California School of Military Aeronautics where he later received his doctorate. His flight-training was done at Rockwell Field, California. Doolittle received his Reserve Military Aviator rating. He was commissioned a first lieutenant in the Signal Officers Reserve Corps on March 11, 1918.