Meet the Author: "Dear Bob...: Bob Hope's Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War II"

Join us live and in person for a Veterans Day Meet the Author event featuring a panel discussion with Dear Bob… author Martha Bolton, Bob Hope’s daughter Linda Hope, and Senior Curator Kim Guise.

A fitting and heartfelt way to conclude Veterans Day, the Museum invites you to join us for an enlightening conversation about an extraordinary collection of correspondence to and from the incomparable entertainer Bob Hope. The panel will feature author Martha Bolton; Linda Hope, daughter of Bob Hope and Chair/CEO of the Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation; and the Museum’s Kim Guise, Senior Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs.

This event is free and open to the public as part of the Museum’s Veterans Day programming sponsored by AARP Louisiana and Navy Federal Credit Union.

For five decades, comedian, actor, singer, dancer, and entertainer Bob Hope (1903–2003) traveled the world performing before American and Allied troops and putting on morale-boosting USO shows. Dear Bob . . .: Bob Hope’s Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War II tells the story of Hope’s remarkable service to the fighting men and women of World War II, collecting personal letters, postcards, packages, and more sent back and forth among Hope and the troops and their loved ones back home.

Soldiers, nurses, wives, and parents shared their innermost thoughts, swapped jokes, and commiserated with the “G. I.s’ best friend” about war, sacrifice, lonely days, and worrisome, silent nights. The Entertainer of the Century performed for millions of soldiers in person, in films, and over the radio. He visited them in the hospitals and became not just a pal but also their link to home. This unforgettable collection of letters and images, many of which remained in Hope’s personal files throughout his life and now reside at the Library of Congress, capture a personal side of both writer and recipient in a very special and often-emotional way. This volume heralds the voices of those servicemen and women whom Hope entertained and who, it is clear, delighted and inspired him.

About the Panelists:

Martha Bolton was the first woman staff writer for Bob Hope, helping to write his television shows, personal appearances, and military shows for approximately 15 years. She is an Emmy-nominated writer and author of 88 books of humor and inspiration. She has received nominations for a Dove Award, WGA Award, and a Golden Scroll Merit Award for Fiction. Her book Dear Bob… is the winner of the 2021 Golden Scroll Awards for Memoir of the Year and Christian Market Book of the Year awarded by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association.

Linda Hope is the eldest daughter of Bob and Dolores Hope and serves as CEO/Chair of the Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation. She is the producer of the Emmy Award–winning TV special Bob Hope: The First 90 Years. She also wrote My Life in Jokes, a collection of jokes honoring her father’s 100th birthday. Linda produced his TV shows for over 20 years, ran Hope Enterprises, and has spent the last two decades perpetuating her father’s legacy.

Kimberly Guise is Senior Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs at The National WWII Museum. Since joining The National WWII Museum in 2008, Guise has facilitated the acquisition of thousands of artifacts, led numerous Museum tours, and curated several exhibits including So Ready for Laughter: The Legacy of Bob Hope.

Visit our web store to order your signed copy of Dear Bob: Bob Hope's Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War II today!