From cue cards to river water, “Bob Hope saved everything”
A new collection showcases decades of memorabilia
A chicken in a sweater. An oversized boxing glove. Boxes of birthday cards from celebrities and fans. Whimsical, sentimental or poignant, Bob Hope kept it. Now a trove of memorabilia from the entertainer’s 80-year career is enshrined in the Popular Culture Collections at the University of Florida’s George A. Smathers Libraries, where it will be cataloged and made available for students, researchers and the public.
UF’s popular culture curator Jim Liversidge spent his quarantine lockdown poring over the first shipment of boxes, which arrived in March. A second shipment of costumes, awards, cue cards, photos and other memorabilia followed in October.