AWARDS

Cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the "most honored entertainer in the world," Bob Hope has accumulated more than 2,000 awards and citations for humanitarian and professional efforts, including 54 honorary doctorates. Here are some of the honors Hope has received from the military: The Medal of Merit, the congressional gold medal, the Medal of Freedom, the USO Gold Medal, the Sylvanus Thayer Award, the George C. Marshall Medal, the Navy Medal of Honor, and the Spiked Helmet Award from the Marines.

And by order of Queen Elizabeth II, Hope was made an honorary commander of the Order of the British Empire for his services to British troops during World War II.

In 1991, the Navy named a performing arts center after him in Annapolis, Md., and in 1994, the Navy gave Hope a 950-foot-long present. It named a new ship after him. The USNS Bob Hope was the first of six non-combat sealift vessels used to handle cargo for the Department of Defense.

STAR ATTRACTION

The list of entertainers who accompanied Bob Hope on his USO tours is as long as the comedian's famous nose. Here are a few of the stars from show business and the sports world who joined Hope and helped lift the spirits of soldiers around the world.

Charlton Heston, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Raquel Welch, Sammy Davis Jr., Ann-Margret, Frank Sinatra, Phyllis Diller, Joey Heatherton, Gary Cooper, Anita Ekberg, James Cagney, Ginger Rogers, Al Jolson, Jayne Mansfield, Clark Gable, Tuesday Weld, Bing Crosby, Gina Lollobrigida, Fred Astaire, Jill St. John, Ursula Andress, Les Brown and His Band of Renown, Anita Bryant, Steve McQueen, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Redd Foxx, Red Skelton, Lana Turner, Connie Stevens, the Golddiggers, the Ding-a-Lings, and the Hollywood Deb Stars.

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE

Here are a few of the places and countries Hope played: P-38 Base, North Africa; Polebrook Air Force Base, England; Da Nang Air Base, Vietnam; the Dust Bowl, Marseilles, France; the Bayonet Bowl, Korea; the Block Arena, Honolulu; the China Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic and Pacific, too, swimming pools in Pusan, Korea, and the White House in Washington.

HOPE IN ACTION

The Palm Springs Air Museum recently installed a permanent display dedicated to Hope's USO tours during World War II. It features black-and-white photos of the comedian in action and letters of thanks from servicemen and fans. Dolores Hope reviewed the exhibit on installation and said, 'I'm impressed with those letters because they meant a great deal to Bob.' The museum is at 745 N. Gene Autry Trail in Palm Springs. (760) 778-6262.