新大哀悼失去的朋友和支持者

On Sunday, July 27, Bob Hope died of pneumonia at age 100 in hisCalifornia home. With his passing, the world lost one of thegreatest comedians it has ever known. 他的职业生涯跨越了近十年.

Just as Hope’s contributions to entertainment will beforever felt, his contributions to our university will be foreverremembered.

Hope’s relationship with SMU dates back to the1920’s when he was performing a vaudeville act atDallas’s Majestic Theatre. It was then that the youngperformer met theatre chain executive and SMU supporter, BobO’Donnell. From the friendship between the two men were bornother lasting alliances between Hope and SMU administrators,教职员工.

An avid SMU sports fan, Hope had an early closeness to theMustang football team. 当球队前往1935年的玫瑰碗时, he invited them to visit him at Paramount Studios duringtheir stay.

几年后, 在1949年SMU-Notre Dame橄榄球赛之前, Hope was “kidnapped” from a Fort Worthperformance by a group of students and taken to a massive pep rallyin downtown Dallas. Amused, Hope only joked that an atheist wassomeone who didn’t care who won when SMU played NotreDame.

在20世纪50年代初，霍普开始在各种美国音乐会上表演.S.校园. Selling out quickly, his performances at SMU were alwaysa huge success. He was even the first person ever to arrive at SMUin a helicopter.

However, his performances at SMU were only the beginning. Hopewas the first man ever to be made an honorary member of the SMUsororities. He was given the Red Stallion Award from the athleticdepartment, 1968年，他被加冕为“返校节之王”, 授予荣誉人文学博士学位, and presented with anhonorary membership in the SMU Alumni Association. Hope also servedon SMU’s Board of Trustees from 1968 to 1976.

It was in 1968, however, that Hope’s greatest gift wasmade to SMU—the Bob Hope Theatre. The theatre was opened withHope’s generous donation totaling over $800,000. Openingnight looked much like a Hollywood movie premier with celebritiesand Dallas elite in attendance.

Today, the theatre is an integral part of the MeadowsSchool.

“剧院是我们在这里工作的核心,格雷格·布朗说, 梅多斯学院的常务董事.”It’s one of our premiere performing spaces that we useall the time.”

非常适合剧院的首场演出, anationally televised revival of his hit Broadway show”Roberta,被选为剧院开幕曲.

“Mr. 霍普在新大做过几次表演, but‘Roberta’ was special because it was done on his stageand also because it was the kickoff for the Bob Hope Scholarshipwhich we still award today,布朗说.

鲍勃·霍普奖学金, 为纪念喜剧演员而创作的, wasfirst awarded in 1969 and continues to be awarded annually to twograduate theatre students. In addition the Bob Hope Award is alsoawarded annually to one SMU senior majoring in theatre.

Over and above monetary gifts to SMU, he also gave his time andtalent freely. In 1984, he served as a visiting professor to acourse taught by professor G. William Jones entitled “BobHope: On the Art of Cinema Comedy.”

学生们都很喜欢. 霍普真的很喜欢和学生一起工作. 尽管他年纪大了, 他真是精力充沛 ,andI think he liked working with young people because it kept hisenergy up,他说.

As a result of his teaching, Hope was named a distinguishedvisiting professor for life.

Bob Hope’s last visit to the SMU campus was in 1992 for ablack-tie gala where he was awarded the Medal of Distinction forboth lifetime achievement in entertainment and for his generouscontributions to the Meadows School.

“我为自己获得的所有奖项感到自豪, 但让我们面对现实吧, 这个有点特别,” Hope said in an interviewwith The Dallas Morning 新闻.

格雷格·布朗(Greg Brown)帮助制作了对奥巴马先生的致敬. Hope at the galathat evening and remembered the experience fondly.

“能和一位传奇人物在一起真是太棒了. He was 90 years oldwhen I met him and he was still very quick-witted,” Brownsaid. “What I took away from the evening was that he was somoved by it. 他每次来都准备好发言稿, but he didn’t use his script that night…hereally spoke from the heart.”

A name synonymous with comedy, Hope will continue to lighten thehearts of many in the future.

“Because of the breadth of his career,布朗说,”he’s touched people in every medium. The number ofpeople he’s been able to touch is something few will be ableto surpass.”

His memory stands embodied at SMU in the theatre that bears hisname.

“When we think of Bob Hope, we can’t help butsmile,布朗说.