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THE BOB HOPE
MEMORIAL LIBRARY
FORMAL
DEDICATION CEREMONY
AT THE
IMMIGRATION MUSEUM ON ELLIS ISLAND
Tuesday,
October 12, 2010
An Act of
Congress Names A National Landmark For
One of America's Most Beloved Immigrants and
World Renown Entertainers
On Tuesday, October
12, 2010, the Hope Family including Bob Hope's daughter
Linda Hope and his son Kelly Hope, and invited guests from
the worlds of theater, film, television and comedy attendees
to be will gather for the formal dedication of the
newly refurbished Bob Hope Memorial Library located
in the Immigration Museum on Ellis Island. Those in
attendance will enjoy a ribbon cutting ceremony, brief
heartfelt speeches and musical performances to celebrate the
opening. New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is
issuing a proclamation for the occasion and his Honor will
be represented by NYC Commissioner of Immigration, Fatima
Shama.
Dolores Hope, 101,
a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and a proud
American of Irish and Italian heritage said, "Bob would be
very pleased to receive this momentous honor. His arrival at
Ellis Island, was an important moment for him, the beginning
of a new life full of opportunity."
Linda Hope
says, "This honor would have meant the world to my dad. He
was, of course, very proud of his English/Welsh roots but he
loved his adopted country with a passion. He loved the
spirit of its people and he used to marvel at all the
opportunities he had as an American. He lived the American
dream and spent much of his adult life giving back to the
men and women who made the freedom he enjoyed possible, the
United States Military."
Michael
Feinstein, the
multi-platinum selling, five-time Grammy nominated
entertainer dubbed “The Ambassador of the Great American
Songbook” will close the ceremony with his rendition of Bob
Hope's signature song. Mr. Feinstein performed that song on
Bob's 100th birthday celebration and is a longtime friend of
the Hope family.
"Bob was a man who never forgot his roots
and spent his life helping others. Knowing him was a great
thrill and I'll be very proud to sing Thanks For The Memory
in his honor," Mr. Feinstein said.
Following the
ceremony, there will be a luncheon featuring British
inspired fare that will include a couple of Bob Hope's
favorite dishes that his mother Avis served such as a lemon
meringue pie and lamb, one of his all time favorite dishes.
ABOUT BOB HOPE
Bob Hope was one of
America's most celebrated immigrants. The fifth of seven
sons, he was born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, England on
May 29, 1903. His English father, William Henry Hope, was a
stonemason -- his Welsh mother, Avis Townes Hope, an
aspiring concert singer. In 1907, Leslie's mother brought
her five sons through Ellis Island joining their father who
had come over earlier to make a home for them in Cleveland,
OH. In 1920, by virtue of his father's naturalization, 'Bob'
-- the name by which the world would later know him -- and
his brothers became United States citizens. (Bob joked, I
left England at the age of four when I found out I couldn't
be king.")
For a man who once
played third billing to Siamese twins and trained seals, Bob
Hope became the most recognized profile and talent in the
world. And, in the entire history of show business, no
individual traveled so far -- so often -- to entertain so
many. Hope entertained audiences in every decade of the 20th
century -- from impersonating Charlie Chaplin in front of
the firehouse in Cleveland in 1909, to celebrating an
unprecedented 61 years with NBC in 1996. He was an
innovative comedian who developed the art of the monologue
and made America laugh for over 70 years.
Hope is perhaps most
remembered for his dedication to entertaining the troops
throughout 60 years, first at March Field, California at
the beginning of WWII continuing through Korea, Viet Nam
with his final tour at age 87 to the Middle East with
Operation Desert Storm. He was rewarded for this
extraordinary effort by an Act of Congress naming him an
honorary veteran, an honor which Hope treasured.
Bob Hope now
holds two entries in The Guinness Book of World Records. His
newest award is for having the distinction of being the
entertainer with "the longest running contract with a single
network - spanning sixty-one years." His first record was
for being the "most honored entertainer."
Hope has more than two thousand awards and
citations for humanitarian and professional efforts,
including 54 honorary doctorates. He hosted the Academy
Awards 19 times and received two Oscar statues. In 1952 he
received an Honorary Academy Award for his contribution to
the laughter of the World - his service to the Motion
Picture Industry and his devotion to the American premise.
In 1959, the Academy bestowed the Special Jean
Hersholt Academy Award for Outstanding philanthropic
contributions to the film industry.
Bob Hope's life
story exemplifies the story of many who came to this country
through Ellis Island, entering the country with little, but
who then became successful citizens. Bob Hope died in 2003
at the age of 100.
THE BOB HOPE MEMORIAL LIBRARY
The Bob Hope
Memorial Library will showcase permanent and rotating
exhibits of Bob Hope's career in the entertainment business
as well as memorabilia pertaining to his USO tours and
golfing endeavors.
The reading area at
the Bob Hope Memorial Library, located on the third floor of
the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, contains books,
periodicals, contemporary and historical photographs, film
and video productions, unpublished manuscripts, archival
collections, oral history interviews and other research
materials relating to the history of the Statue of Liberty,
Ellis Island, immigration history and the National Park
Service.
LEGISLATIVE
HISTORY
Norman
Liss, Esq., Chairman of
Development of the Ellis Island Restoration Commission,
stated, "The Commission is justly proud of its role in
having recommended to the National Park Service naming the
library the Bob Hope Memorial Library,
and its role in initiating and sponsoring the naming
legislation through an act of Congress. The Commission, a
pro bono
group, is
the same body that recommended the restoration of Ellis
Island to the Department of Interior in 1980. Through the
congressional leadership of Congressman Eliot Engel of the
House of Representatives and Senator Charles Schumer of the
U.S. Senate, the Commission was successful in having the
legislation passed by the House of Representatives 420-1 and
subsequently by the U.S. Senate, and signed into law by the
President."
In recognition of
his many decades of work entertaining American troops
overseas, Congress enacted Public Law 105-67 in 1997, which
conferred on him status as an honorary U.S. Armed Forces
Veteran. He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in
1962, the Medal of Freedom in 1969, and the National Medal
of Arts in 1995.
In commemoration
of Bob Hope's lifetime achievements as someone who entered
the country through Ellis Island, H.R. 759 re-designated the
Ellis Island Library as the Bob Hope Memorial
Library.
About Ellis Island, part of Statue of Liberty
National Monument
Opened on January 1, 1892, Ellis Island
became the nation's premier federal immigration station. In
operation until 1954, more than 12 million immigrants were
processed at the station. The main building was restored
after 30 years of abandonment and opened as a museum on
September 10, 1990. It has been estimated that more than 40
percent of America’s population today can trace their
ancestry through Ellis Island.
Ellis Island is
located in the upper bay just off the New Jersey coast, near
the Statue of Liberty. The main building of the Immigration
Station was restored after 30 years of abandonment and
opened as a museum in 1990, administered by the National
Park Service.
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