Bob Hope Memorial Library

Monday May 05, 2008

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 which includes the renaming of the Ellis Island Library on the third floor of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum as the ``Bob Hope Memorial Library.'

Bob Hope is an American institution and was one of our greatest entertainers. Most Americans remember Bob Hope for his work in the entertainment business as well as for his USO shows for American soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen fighting overseas.

What few know is that Bob Hope was an immigrant from England. Like many of the other 16 million immigrants who passed through Ellis Island, Bob Hope and his family arrived in America in 1908 with little but the American dream. Bob Hope described himself upon arrival as ``a 4-year-old boy in knickers who had no idea of the opportunities that lay ahead.'

Bob Hope held a special place in his heart for Ellis Island and, in 1990, when the Ellis Island Restoration Commission suggested naming the third floor of the museum in his honor, he stated that it would be ``one of the single most important highpoints in his career.'

The library will be a daily reminder to Ellis Island's visitors of the great contributions of one of our Nation's most renowned immigrants and of the opportunities of the American dream. While Bob Hope did not live to see this project completed after more than 15 years, we honor his memory by passing this legislation today.

It is my hope that the National Park Service and the Ellis Island Restoration Commission will work together to make the Ellis Island Museum, including the Bob Hope Memorial Library, a place to remember the 16 million immigrants who passed through Ellis Island and an interactive destination to honor the memories of and learn more about some of America's most famous immigrants, such as Bob Hope.