COLUMBUS, Ohio– President and CEO of the National Veterans Memorial and Museum Lieutenant General Michael Ferriter says he has fond memories of meeting comedic legend Bob Hope and friends as a kid.

• An Ohio museum has a new exhibit focusing on Bob Hope’s fifty-year career of entertaining troops during times of war.
• The comedian’s legacy and longevity are truly unmatched, and his memory continues to live on throughout the country.
• ”So Ready for Laughter” exhibition is currently on display until April 17th at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus. 

“I got to meet him in 1968. We were in Berlin, Germany; my father was in the army there, we were stationed there. He brought Connie Stevens and the Gold Diggers, who are dancers and entertainers. And Connie Stevens kissed little Mikey Ferriter right here. He was game on, 100 percent of the time. He was amazed by what our men and women do for this country,” says Lieutenant General Michael Ferriter. 

“So Ready for Laughter,” is a traveling exhibition from the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

The gallery tells the story of Bob Hope and his love of US service members from World War II to the Gulf War.

From 1941 to 1991, Hope participated in 57 tours for the United Service Organization, entertaining an estimated 11 million servicemen and women.

The exhibit features photos, artifacts, and video highlights from decades of entertainment and touches on his time spent in Northeastern, Ohio.

“He did come here as a very young child and spent his formative years, his youth here in Ohio. He was an amateur boxer, a newspaper boy, part-owner of the Cleveland Indians for a period of time. So very, very connected to Ohio,” says Kim Guise from the National WWII Museum. 

For Lieutenant General Ferriter, he says Hope set the bar for all comedian predecessors and says it’s important that the younger generations learn about Hope’s dedication to the troops and ability to provide laughter for those who have sacrificed so much.

“He’s one of a kind. You don’t have to be a veteran to fall in love with what you’re going to see here,” says Lieutenant General Michael Ferriter. 

The exhibition named “So Ready for Laughter” is on display at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in until April 17th.

Although born in England, Bob Hope remained connected to Cleveland throughout his life. And Hope was a part-owner of the Cleveland Indians for several years. 

For more information about the National Veterans Memorial and Museum click here: