By: Hilderbran, Hunter H.R. No. 1548
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, World renowned actor, comedian, entertainer, and
humanitarian Bob Hope has brought smiles and laughter to
generations of fans around the world and will be celebrating his
100th birthday on May 29, 2003; and
WHEREAS, Born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, England, on May
29, 1903, Mr. Hope moved with his family to Cleveland, Ohio, four
years later; although he held jobs as a soda jerk, shoe salesman,
and newspaper vendor, he was determined to pursue his dream of
becoming an entertainer, and took dancing lessons from
professionals King Rastus Brown and Johnny Root after high school;
and
WHEREAS, Mr. Hope broke into vaudeville as a dancer partnered
with Mildred Rosequist and later worked with Lloyd Durbin and
George Byrne, but gained his greatest success after becoming a solo
act; his prolific Broadway career, which began with Sidewalks of
New York, enabled Mr. Hope to share the stage with such other greats
as Ruby Keeler, Fanny Brice, Ethel Merman, and Jimmy Durante; and
WHEREAS, In 1937, Mr. Hope was introduced to Dolores DeFina
Reade after she had performed in a show at the Vogue Club on 57th
Street in New York City; the two married in February 1934 and have
four children and four grandchildren that they continue to cherish;
and
WHEREAS, Mr. Hope has appeared innumerable times throughout
the great state of Texas not only in our finest entertainment
venues, but also in countless charitable events and activities
which raised millions of dollars for the benefit of others; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Hope was honored by Southern Methodist
University in Dallas with the naming of the Bob Hope Theater which
continues today to feature creative artists and world famous
personalities from year to year; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Hope has appeared in all of the major cities of
Texas over the years including the city of Abilene where he was the
featured entertainer in 1979 and 1980 for the JOINT VENTURE FOR
CRIPPLED CHILDREN which benefitted the West Texas Rehabilitation
Center and also was willing to appear in taped charitable
promotions for a period of five years in order to assist needy
children and adults with free rehabilitation services; and
WHEREAS, In 1970 Bob Hope invited twenty Abilenians including
the Honorable Bob Hunter, Abilene City Councilman at the time, to be
his special guests at the Honor America Day Ceremonies on the
Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument Mall with evangelist Billy
Graham as the co-host; there was a great cast of performers
including Andy Williams, Kate Smith, Pat Boone, Dinah Shore, Jack
Benny, and many others with thousands of citizens attending from
throughout the United States; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Hope has given legendary support to the world of
golf including the great golf courses and golfing events in the
state of Texas, and was instrumental in creating the Bob Hope
Chrysler Classic pro-am golf tournament, an event that has raised
more than $35 million for the Eisenhower Medical Center and other
deserving charities; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Hope will be honored through The Bob Hope 100th
Birthday Tribute Collection released in April with 12 DVD's
featuring 17 of his movies; and New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and
London have scheduled Bob Hope film festivals this summer; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Hope will be featured on the 100 years of Hope
and Humor two-hour special by the National Broadcasting Company on
Sunday at 7 P.M. having drawn 12.6 million viewers when it
originally aired on Easter Sunday of this year; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Hope was saluted at a Library of Congress Gala
and on Sunday his daughter, Linda, and his son, Anthony, will be
present at a tribute aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid as part of the
Navy's Fleet Week ceremonies; and
WHEREAS, The exhibit Bob Hope: American Patriot is presently
on view through June 8th at the Ronald Reagan Library in California
and will travel to the Eisenhower, Johnson, and Ford Libraries; and
WHEREAS, The Bob Hope Joke File is preserved to this day in a
climate-controlled vault in North Hollywood, California, and
includes more than 85,000 pages which are a part of the Bob Hope
Gallery of Entertainment in Washington, D.C.; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Hope, more than any other person, has
entertained our United States military forces through the U.S.O. in
all parts of the world in peace time and in battle, and in 1997
became the first person in the history of this nation to be named an
Honorary Veteran by the United States Congress; and
WHEREAS, The famous corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine
Street has been re-named "Bob Hope Square" in recognition of his
contributions to the motion picture industry starring in over 50
films, including the massively popular "Road" pictures with Bing
Crosby and Dorothy Lamour, on the way to becoming Tinseltown's
number one box-office draw; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Hope has been named one of the world's greatest
ambassadors of goodwill by traveling and serving in hundreds of
nations across our globe; and
WHEREAS, The extraordinary achievement of this great
American has won a place in our hearts that is as singular as his
distinctive profile, and his star continues to shine ever brighter
with each passing year as succeeding generations discover the
enduring gifts he has bestowed on us all; now therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Bob Hope on the momentous occasion
of his 100th birthday and extend to him a very sincere "thanks for
the memories" from his legions of fans in Texas; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Hope and his wife of 69 years, Dolores, as an
expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.