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ELLIS ISLAND LIBRARY NAMED FOR BOB HOPE, U.S. POSTAGE STAMP HONORING HOPE IS UNVEILED
Monday November 24, 2008 Joseph O'BrienELLIS ISLAND LIBRARY NAMED FOR BOB HOPE, U.S. POSTAGE STAMP HONORING HOPE IS UNVEILED
Washington, D.C.--In tribute to a great American who dedicated his life and his humor to the service of others, the research library on Ellis Island officially was renamed the Bob Hope Memorial Library, at ceremonies Monday (11/24) attended by Hope’s daughter, Linda, Congressman Eliot Engel, who sponsored the legislation renaming the library, and Norman Liss, Chairman of Development of Ellis Island Restoration Commission, who suggested the legislation to Rep. Engel.
At a temporary exhibit featuring photographs, videos, documents and jokes from the life of the greatest funnyman of the 20th Century, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a commemorative postage stamp which will be issued May 28, 2009. Rep. Engel’s legislation to honor Bob Hope was signed into law by President Bush on May 8th of this year.
Rep. Engel said Bob Hope was an American institution, famed for his work in movies and on stage, and beloved for his USO shows for American soldiers, marines, and airmen fighting overseas. He was so beloved in America that few knew he emigrated from England at the age of 4 and, and like so many other immigrants, came through Ellis Island.
“Bob Hope is famous for his vibrant sense of humor and for his outstanding service entertaining U.S. troops overseas starting in World War II,” Rep. Engel said. “This library is a place where Bob Hope will be remembered, and where visitors will have the opportunity to honor his legacy as one of America’s most renowned entertainers and immigrants. I look forward to celebrating the grand opening of the permanent exhibit of his life here at Ellis Island this spring.”
“He always said he had a special place in his heart for Ellis Island and in 1990 when the Ellis Island Restoration Commission suggested naming a library for him, he said it would be ‘one of the single most important highpoints in my career.’” Rep. Engel added.
“That library will be a daily reminder to Ellis Island's visitors of the great contributions of one of our nation's most renowned immigrants. Mr. Hope passed away at the age of 100 in 2003 and he is being honored by this legislation.”
“We honor Bob Hope today for his many contributions to America; for helping America laugh during difficult times and for five decades of lifting the spirit and morale of our troops around the world,” said Mr. Liss, which has supported the development of Ellis Island since 1976 and which led the Congressional campaign to rename the library.
Mr. Liss, of Riverdale, said the naming of the library would be a true tribute to a great American who personified the American Dream. “If he were alive today,” said Mr. Liss, “he would be in Iraq and Afghanistan entertaining the troops.”
Linda Hope said, “The naming of the Bob Hope Memorial Library and the commemorative U.S. postage stamp are wonderful tributes to my father, who arrived at this Isle of Hope 100 years ago. He fully achieved the promise of America and dedicated his life to the service of his adopted country.
“His gift, which we see in the jokes throughout this exhibit, was to make people laugh. And he shared that gift for 50 years with the men and women who were far from home, defending the principles we cherish. My mother and I, along with our family, look forward to the release of the Bob Hope stamp in conjunction with is birthday on May 29th,” said Ms. Hope.
Rep. Engel said that Hope epitomized the realization of immigrants that in America they could succeed, even if they occasionally failed. “Few remember,” he said, “that Bob Hope fought as a professional boxer under the name of ‘Packy;’ Hope. Fortunately for all of us, he found his true calling.”
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