By Leslie Tang

He danced, sang and joked his way into America’s heart. The whole nation mourned July 27 when beloved entertainer Bob Hope died, two months after his 100th birthday.

Many Los Altos residents grew up with Hope as a part of their lives at a time when everyone took the train or bus, and it cost 10 cents to see a movie.

“Life was very simple in those days,” said Tamme Tossy, a Los Altos resident. “When we were young, there was no TV. So you would go to the movies.”

Some residents knew Hope personally. O.D Peterson, a Los Altos Hills resident and retired American Airlines captain, had the honor of driving Bob and Delores Hope in his 1961 four-door “Royal Red,” Lincoln Continental Convertible during the 1998 “Wings Over Stockton” Air Show put on by Alex G. Spanos, a longtime friend of the Hopes.

Peterson said the mayor of Atherton at the time called him and asked him to drive the Hopes. “I said, ‘You got to be kidding!” Peterson recalled. “There are probably hundreds of cars more spectacular than mine, but he said, ‘No, we want yours.’ … Heavens, I would have driven to Nevada to drive him (Hope).”

Peterson chauffeured the Hopes as they paraded along the “fence line,” in front of 100,000 spectators each day of the weekend event. He said that his car was similar to the car President Kennedy rode during some of his public appearances.

“The whole thing was a fond memory,” said Peterson. “After it was over I thought, ‘Did I really do this?’”

Peterson put together a photo memorabilia of his weekend with Hope. Included are various pictures of Peterson driving the Hopes and a personally autographed photo of the couple signed: “O.D, thanks for the memories - Bob Hope.” Peterson treasures this photo in particular.

As Hope was 95 at the time, Peterson said it was probably one of the last personal signatures he wrote. “He was quite amazing, even though he was 95, he had stamina all over the place, from this event to that.”

Peterson’s signature car is featured in Los Altos events such as the annual Pet Parade, and is now known as the “Bob Hope Car,” as titled on the photo display he cherishes.

The Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto did a tribute to Hope on his 100th birthday, May 29, to start the monthlong run of Bob Hope movies with the double feature “Road to Morocco” and “Ghostbreakers.”

Tamme and Jerry Tossy, along with Mary and Jack Hacker, all Los Altos residents, re-lived their childhood by attending the event in the theater, which Tamme said was “like the old ones (theaters).”

“Being older, we took party hats,” said Tamme Tossy. “People must have been thinking, ‘Who are these crazy people?’”

Each couple was decked out in hats reading “Bob,” for one half of the couple, and “Hope,” on the other.

Tossy said that her favorite Hope movies are the “Road” movies. “They were as corny as can be,” she said. “They had jokes of the day which would probably not be considered ‘PC’ today, but Bob Hope could always use humor of the day that was acceptable at the time.”

In today’s Hollywood world, the popularity of rising actors and comedians can be fleeting. However, Hope became an icon of whom America never tired. “Funny thing is,” said Bob Mabe, who is the coordinator of car shows featured in Los Altos events, “he kept using the same jokes over and over, and it was funny every time.”

Tamme Tossy felt that Hopes success was based on his ability to adapt to the times. “His humor changed as the generations went on, but it was the same Bob Hope.

“To me, I don’t feel badly of his passing,” she said, “simply because if you live that long, it was nice he made it to that century mark … we were mostly celebrating his life, not his death.”

Mabe agreed that Hope’s death signified a triumphant full life. “If I could live to be 100 and do all the things he did, then that’s a pretty good life.”

“He’s one of a kind,” Peterson said. “There will never be another like him.”