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THE 2003 ELLIS ISLAND FAMILY HERITAGE AWARDS BIOS
ENTERTAINMENT: Bob Hope
Bob Hope, among the most famous
of Ellis Island immigrants, was born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, England. He emigrated to America with his family,
arriving on March 30, 1908. He began performing in vaudeville in the 1920s, made his Broadway debut in 1933, and his
radio program appeared in some form or another from 1938 until the 1950s. Hope was a huge hit in Hollywood and on
television, and remained one of the top 10 box office stars throughout the 1940s and 1950s. His legendary USO shows
entertained generations of U.S. troops and earned him the title of “Ambassador of Good Will.” His beloved annual Christmas
specials aired every year from 1953 to 1994. A favorite performer of a string of U.S. presidents beginning with
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Hope received an honorary knighthood in 1998 from Elizabeth II. Hope has been married to
actress Dolores Reade since 1934, and the couple has four children. Hope will celebrate his 100th birthday in May, 2003.
SPORTS: Yogi Berra
In 1946, Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra stepped up to the plate at Yankee Stadium for the first time
and smacked a home run, launching one of the greatest careers in baseball history. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in ‘72,
Yogi's numbers speak for themselves -- 358 career home runs, 3 M.V.P.s, 15 All-Star games, and 10 World Championships. From
July 28, 1957 to May 10, 1959, Yogi established a record by catching 148 consecutive games without an error, pulling off an
unbelievable 950 chances. With explosive batting and stellar defense, Yogi gave the team everything he had. At age 37, he
caught all 22 innings of a grueling seven-hour marathon against Detroit. The son of Ellis Island immigrants, his father
Pietro arrived at Ellis Island on October 18, 1909 from Milano, Italy. Yogi is one of the most popular and loved of all Yankee
greats.
MEDICINE/SCIENCE: Dr. Anthony Fauci
This grandson of Ellis Island immigrants is a pioneering AIDS researcher
and scientific leader, and has been one of the world’s leading physician-scientists for over three decades. A Brooklyn native,
Dr. Fauci trained at Cornell University-New York Hospital. He has remained dedicated to groundbreaking research at the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health for over 34 years, serving as director since
1984. His early work included the development of now-standard therapies for once-fatal rheumatic diseases, and he has since won
international recognition working to develop effective therapies for AIDS and other diseases affecting the immune system. His
team’s HIV research papers were the most-cited worldwide from 1993 to 1995. He has also served as a government spokesman on
bio-terrorism, and is spearheading the drive for vaccines to prevent the HIV virus, smallpox, anthrax and the Ebola virus.
Dr. Fauci’s grandfather, Antonino, arrived at Ellis Island on July 19, 1900 from Sciacca, Italy.
GOVERNMENT SERVICE: Abie Abraham
A true exemplar of the “Greatest Generation”, Sgt. Abie Abraham was profiled in
Hampton Sides’ best-selling book Ghost Soldiers. The son of a Syrian Ellis Island immigrant, who arrived in America on
May 18, 1902, Sgt. Abraham fought with distinction in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Captured by the Imperial Japanese
Army, Abraham’s regiment endured the infamous Bataan Death March. In the succeeding years of captivity, over 4,000 of Abraham’s
fellow P.O.W.s died in brutal and inhumane conditions. Abraham did his best to record the names, origins and messages of the
dead and dying, braving torture and death to maintain his records on can labels and paper scraps. Following his 1945 liberation,
Abraham stayed in the Philippines to help recover and identify the remains of his fellow soldiers. Ultimately, he became the only
American soldier who fought at Bataan to be on hand for the Japanese surrender.
PERFORMING ARTS: Cicely Tyson
Former
model Cicely Tyson is a star of the stage, screen and film, acclaimed for her portrayal of strong female characters. She traces
her family roots from St. Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean—her mother, Fredricka Huggins, arrived at Ellis Island on
October 22, 1917 and her father, William Tyson, arrived on August 4, 1919. She became well-known as a regular cast member of
the dramatic television series “East Side, West Side” (1963-1964). Her film credits include The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1968),
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), and Sounder (1972), for which she received an Oscar nomination. She is best known for her
television performances in the Roots miniseries (1977), and her Emmy-award winning roles in the television movies The
Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974) and Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (1994).
For further information on
the American Family Immigration History Center™ visit:
www.ellisisland.org, AOL Keyword: EllisIsland.org, or write:
The Statue of Liberty-Ellis
Island Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box ELLIS
New York, NY 10163
Email: historycenter@ellisisland.org
# # #
Peg Zitko
(212)561-4517
pzitko@ellisisland.org
Maria Antenorcruz
(212)561-4542
mantenorcruz@ellisisland.org
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