Bob Hope - Stars & Stripes Park - Oklahoma City, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 33.113 W 097° 34.952
14S E 628476 N 3935171
With a career spanning seven decades, the name Bob Hope stands for talent, humor, encouragement to the military, and a life lived well.
Waymark Code: WMM1N9
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 07/03/2014
Views: 4
Born in Britain on May 29, 1903, and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Bob Hope always felt a soft place in his heart for Oklahoma, and came here many times over the years to entertain and raise funds for various endeavors. In the 1940s he entertained at the Zoo Amphitheater, and did many shows in the 1960s. His efforts raised funds for the building of Stars and Stripes Park, and the Oklahoma City Association of Broadcasters honored him with this bronze bust which was dedicated on July 4, 1970.
The statue currently stands on the north (lake side) of the Bob Hope Pavilion. The statue stands on the patio of the pavilion, and is behind the iron fence which surrounds the area. The life-sized bronze bust, created by artist Mary Fiegel, shows him in a suit and bow tie, with a carnation on his lapel. The tapered base is constructed of concrete and pebbles. A plaque on the base quotes Hope: "...Good citizens built America the Beautiful. Great Americans fought to keep it that way..."
Bob Hope's career began in the 1930s in Vaudeville with singing, dancing and comedy. A popular radio show of his ran from 1938 to the mid-1950s. He later broke into movies and television, and received over 50 honorary degrees in his lifetime, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1985 at Kennedy Center, the Presidential Medal of Arts in 1995 and a British knighthood in 1998.
Amid his tremendous entertainment career on the stage and in movies, his work as an entertainer with the USO brought enjoyment and encouragement to untold numbers of the military on foreign fields. Beginning in World War II, he continued through the years, visiting Vietnam nine times, and entertaining in the 1990s in the Gulf War arena.
Bob Hope lived to be 100, passing away from pneumonia on July 27, 2003.
(
visit link)