October 2021

Page A38 OCTOBER 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A of the many beneficiaries was Southern Methodist Univer- sity, including $800,000 to help build the Meadows School of the Arts, which opened in 1968, as home to several stag- es, including the Bob Hope Theatre. When asked why Hope was so devoted to SMU, the quintessential Bob Hope quick response was, “Because they were first to ask.” ( Fort Worth Star-Telegram , July 29, 2003) Hope celebrated his 100th birthday on May 29, 2003. To mark this event, the intersection of Hollywood and Vine in Los Angeles was named “Bob Hope Square” and his cen- tennial was declared “Bob Hope Day” in 35 states. Even at 100, Hope maintained his self-deprecating sense of humor, quipping, “I’m so old, they’ve canceled my blood type.” On the morning of July 27, 2003, Hope died of pneumonia at the age of 100 at his home in Toluca Lake, California, sur- rounded by his family, priest and caregivers – his last audience. His grandson Zach Hope told a TV interviewer that, when asked on his deathbed where he wanted to be buried, Hope told his wife, Dolores, “Surprise me.” His funeral arrangements were handled by Holy Cross Cemetery Mortuary in Culver City. The arrangements were made at the Hope residence. The funeral director was Steve Allen . Hope’s private funeral mass was held at St. Charles Bor- romeo Catholic Church in North Hollywood. The actor- comedian had converted to Catholicism seven years earlier. His eminence Roger Cardinal Mahony presided over the mass attended by 100 invited guests. “There was a short Scripture reading at the cemetery, then all of us stood, gave one final standing ovation, and the service ended. All funer- al details were closely guarded by Hope’s family,” reported a lifelong friend. Temporary entombment was at San Fernando Mission Cemetery , adjoining the church, Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana, in Mission Hills. His casket was a Batesville Pembroke solid cherry, round corner perfection-cut design. Hope’s remains were later removed from the temporary crypt in the cemetery for burial in the Bob Hope Memorial Garden on the church grounds. In 2011, Bob’s wife, Dolo- res, was buried next to him. She was 102. Christmas shows in 1972 during difficult days in Vietnam. This hiatus lasted 11 years. In 1983, at 80, Hope once more hit the road, this time traveling to Lebanon, where a peace- keeping force of Marines and ships of the 6th Fleet had gath- ered to attempt to stem the internal bloodshed in Beirut. The comedian entertained aboard naval ships off the coast and then, to everyone’s surprise, went ashore to give the Ma- rines his special brand of humor. He got out a scant 30 minutes before the compound was shelled. “If this is peace,” Hope told the cheering troops, “aren’t you glad you’re not in a war? I was told not to fraternize with the enemy, and I won’t…as soon as I figure out who it is.” In 1990, the 87-year-old Hope was in the Middle East, cheer- ing troops in Operation Desert Shield and then Operation Des- ert Storm, the first U.S.-led campaign against Saddam Hussein. Hope was never a member of the military. But on October 29, 1997, at age 94, he became the first American designated by Con- gress as an “Honorary Veteran of the United States Armed Forces.” His shows for the troops – which included other comics, sing- ers, dancers and pretty girls – lasted for half a century, often not far from the fighting, earning Hope praise for his patriotic efforts and criticism for his hawkish stance during the VietnamWar. Hope sometimes recruited his family members for USO trav- el. His wife, Dolores, sang from atop an armored vehicle during the Desert Storm tour, and granddaughter Miranda appeared alongside him on an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean. Of Hope’s USO shows in World War II, novelist John Stein- beck , who was working as a war correspondent, wrote in 1943: “When the time for recognition of service to the nation in war- quips and topical cracks…and he always sought a larger stage and a longer reach into audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Hope started entertaining U.S. troops in 1941, when he agreed to put on a single show at California’s March Field near Riverside before the U.S. joined World War II. That one performance would kickstart more than 50 years of en- tertaining the troops at home and overseas during the Ko- rean War, Vietnam, Beirut and Operation Desert Storm. The comedian hated flying, but once said – either exag- gerating for effect or on the level – that he had logged 10 million air miles, entertaining American service personnel around the world. In December of 1948, Bob Hope and other performers traveled to Berlin, Germany, to entertain members of the armed forces participating in the Berlin Airlift. This was his first Christmas tour to entertain troops, the beginning of a Hope tradition that lasted until 1990. He ended his regular Jim Kurtz Alice Adams Appropriate to Greatness: Caskets of the Rich and Famous Written and researched by Alice Adams and Jim Kurtz There have been many good books written about the deaths of the rich and famous. However, none have taken the viewpoint of the funeral service professional or cemeterian. In this series, we hope to accomplish exactly that with the little-known details, obscure facts and citations we have found in our research. We’re excited to share our findings. B ob H ope Three Generations of Americans have Thanked Him for over a half-century of Memories Born M ay 29, 1903 Eltham, England Died J une 27, 2003 Toluca Lake, California An award-winning writer, Alice Adams has chronicled the men and women in funeral service for more than two decades. “My goal has always been to recognize funeral directors and cemeterians who self- lessly assist families during times of their darkest grief,” she said. Since 2018, Alice has teamed with fellow historian and photographer Jim Kurtz to tracing the much ignored and neglected beginnings of the funeral service profession. Adams resides in Dripping Springs, Texas, where she enjoys her children, four grandchildren, Cassie, the Black Lab and two cats – all three rescues. Jim Kurtz has been a funeral director in Texas since 1973 and is president of TFDA’s North Texas Region. He is a historian and educator, he founded the Jim Kurtz Museum of Funeral History and archives in Dallas, Texas. F U N E R A L H O M E & C E M E T E R Y N E W S w w w . N o m i s P u b l i c a t i o n s . c o m Monthly Columns online at Graves of Bob and Dolores Hope at Bob Hope Memorial Gardens — Photos Courtesy Jim Kurtz Courtesy National Portrait Gallery Courtesy Smithsonian Research Center Born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, Eng- land, the fifth of seven sons, Bob Hope emigrated with his family to the U.S. in 1907, settling in Cleve- land, Ohio. He was born into vaudeville. By age 10, after winning a Charlie Chaplin look-alike con- test, he was on stage. But it was his radio and TV successes and the sub- sequent film, The Big Broadcast Of 1908 that began America’s love af- fair with Hope’s rapid-fire ly to charity and was showered with so many awards he had to rent a warehouse to store them. Hope’s philanthropy would benefit scores of schools and causes. One time comes to be considered, Bob Hope should be high on the list. This man drives himself and is driven. It is impossible to see how he can do so much, can cover so much ground, can work so hard, and can be so effective. He works month after month at a pace that would kill most people.” In addition to hosting the Academy Awards show 19 times, more than any other host, Hope appeared in many stage pro- ductions and television roles and wrote 14 books. The song “Thanks for the Memory” was his signature tune. During his long career, Hope earned a fortune, gave lavish- Funeral Directors Research,Inc. AMRA INSTRUMENT, LLC 623 N. Tower (P.O. Box 359) Centralia, WA 98531 “the shorter the supply line the better off you are” WEB DIRECT GIFT & PRICING TM ® www.amrainstruments.com www.preproomdirect.com Phone: 877-770-TIES (8437) Fax: 276-466-3474 E-mail: customerservice@tiesforyou.com www.tiesforyou.com STYLISH MATCHING TIES FOR PROFESSIONALS Any Size Group or Organization NEWS Educational Continued on Page A40 Frank Rosenacker Inducted into CCMS Hall of Fame CINCINNATI,OH— On May 25, 2021, the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science was thrilled to induct long-serving Board President and alumnus Frank B. Rosenacker into the CCMS Hall of Fame. The surprise ceremony took place at the CCMS Top Golf fundraising event and was attended by Frank’s family, mem- bers of the Board of Trustees and death care professionals from around the country. CCMS President and CEO Jack E. Lechner, Jr. be- stowed the honor. “I think you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who has been more dedicated to his profession and this school,” said Lechner. “Frank’s commitment and generosity to CCMS over the years has been truly remarkable.” Frank’s career covers both funeral service and law. He grew up in a family- owned funeral home and became a licensed funeral director/em- balmer in 1974. He was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1983. educa- tionally, he graduated from Cin- cinnati College of Mortuary Sci- ence in 1973 and from Northern Kentucky University Chase Col- lege of Law in 1983. Rosenacker has been involved in all aspects of funeral service in- cluding managing a family busi- ness; teaching mortuary science; working for other fu- neral directors; researching the legal liabilities affecting Frank Rosenacker receives the CCMS Hall of Fame plaque