By NANCILYNN GATTA

By NANCILYNN GATTA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
OB HOPE MAY HAVE CALLED CLEVE-land his hometown, but he developed numerous ties to the Mahoning Valley over the years.
Bob Hope was born Leslie Townes Hope on May 29, 1903, in Eltham, England. In 1907, he moved across the Atlantic with his family. While growing up in Cleveland, he took dance lessons, which would serve him well on his career path.
Hope performed song and dance routines in vaudeville shows. In 1924, he and his partner Lloyd Durbin performed at the Overlander Opera House in East Palestine. Hope credits this performance as his first roadshow.
After Durbin's death, Hope teamed with George Byrne. On the advice of their agent, they polished their act at smaller theaters before performing on a West Coast tour.
They took their act to the Capitol Theater in New Castle, Pa.
While performing there, Hope was asked by the manager to announce the upcoming shows. He threw in a few jokes with his announcements that were very well received. Later, Hope recalled this moment as the impetus for becoming a "single" act.
Boosting troops' morale
Though he appeared on radio, Broadway, television and movies, Hope is best known for entertaining American troops in peacetime and at war. His shows, which helped boost their morale, began in May 1941 and continued through Desert Storm.
Former Youngstown police officer Robert R. Zins saw firsthand how Hope's shows boosted morale when he was the head of security and Hope's personal bodyguard for a 1966 Christmas show during the Vietnam War.
"Basically he went to Vietnam every year. A military police officer was appointed to be the coordinator for security for all of Vietnam and also to be his personal bodyguard. I was there for about nine months. I was in Saigon. I knew what was going on, where the dangerous spots were and so, I was selected," said Zins.
Zins picked up Hope in Thailand and transported him to his performances in Saigon, Cam Ranh Bay and Cu Chi.
During the performance in Cu Chi, Zins witnessed how Hope's comedic abilities could touch the heart's of the soldiers.
"We were at Cu Chi. I was standing near a nurse and several patients. The nurse confided in me that the one boy who was lying there was dying. He knew he was dying. 'This is my last request, I want to see Bob Hope,' he said. That was a memorable moment," Zins said.
Remembering his consideration
Zins also saw the good heart and the consideration that Hope had for the lower ranking soldiers during a performance in Da Nang.
"The Navy always takes care of their officers. They set up very comfortable-looking chairs right in front of the stage for their high-ranking officers, admirals and captains. Bob Hope saw this. He got very upset. He said, 'No officer is going to sit there.' He went out on the stage. He said, 'You Marines up there, there's some nice seats up here in the front row. C'mon and sit there,' recalled Zins.
Zins received a thank-you gift from the comedian for his work.
"He gave me a copy of one of his books. It said, 'Thanks for the fence.' In other words, keeping the crowd back. Also an autographed picture."
Ten years later, during a performance at Ohio State Fair, Bob Hope asked if any of the audience was from East Palestine? Daniel J. Davis and his wife raised their hands. Hope told the audience about his early performances there.
Davis told Hope that he was pastor of First Church of Christ, which was in the midst of a building fund. He informed Hope that he could contribute to the fund if he wished since he got his start in show business in East Palestine. Through correspondence with Davis, Hope agreed to pay for a carillon.
A return to the Valley
After a long absence, Bob Hope visited the Mahoning Valley in 1978 and 1979 as the headlining act of the Canfield Fair.
Lee Stacey, the official Canfield Fair photographer for 30 years, took shots of the comedian onstage or backstage after his performances.
Recalling her encounters with Bob Hope, she said, "He was very, very down to earth. What I remember about Bob Hope is that he was just totally relaxed. We had a fair board director who passed away last year named Bob Rose and I always thought that Bob Rose was so much like Bob Hope. They looked a little bit alike, I thought. They were both really, really low key, relaxed and funny. Bob Hope was funny all the time. His attitude and his reactions to what other people said were off-the-cuff funny."
Because of her access to all areas of the fair, Stacey observed the audience's reaction to Hope's comedy.
"Everybody loved Bob Hope. He was so genuinely nice. He seemed to really care about the people. He never acted like he was better than anyone. He was there to entertain. That was just a feeling that I got and people respond according to how they are being treated and people loved Bob Hope. He was very, very popular with the crowd at Canfield," said Stacey.
Bob Hope's humor and contribution to the entertainment industry continues through his film comedies and a recently released DVD collection of his films and USO tours among American troops.
But for the people of the Mahoning Valley, he has given much laughter to enrich many lives, and all we can say to him is thanks for the memories.