BOB HOPE and American ex-president Gerald Ford meet the devotees.
Drumila das: I met Bob Hope twice. The 1rst time was in the mid 80’s. I personally went to the Bob Hope Golf Classic as I was in Palm springs at the time, and decided it would be a good place to go and give stars books. I was walking around with a paper shopping bag full of books that day so as not to be discovered by security and be kicked out (seems pretty silly in retrospect….a paper shopping bag!!).
That day I gave books to a few sport legends like Bobby Or, Willie Mays and Barry Bonds to name a few. I ran into Robert Stack from the TV series ‘The Untouchables’ and tried to give him a 'Coming Back’ but he wouldn’t take it cause he thought it was from a cult, and his own son had been in one so he had a bad taste. I preached to him for about five minutes explaining to him that we were not a cult, and all the reasons why, at which time he said he would take the book home with him and read it.
Just remembered, I gave a 'Higher Taste’ to Dinah Shore that day, and she was thrilled cause she had just put out her own cookbook.
Anyway back to Bob. I saw him about to tee off on one hole. So I watched him with about 50 other people, by a roped off area.
When he was done, I said “Bob!” to catch his attention. He looked over at me, and said, “Yes!”(his head perking up and looking gleefully in my direction) and I said “ I have a gift for you!” I handed him a 'Coming Back’ and a 'Higher Taste’ upon which time I looked at him and said enthusiastically, “Bob… You’re really going to love these books!!” With a coy grin he looked and me and said enthusiastically, “Am I!? Am I!?” Of course I must have said something like 'Yes!’ or 'Definitely!’
The crowd dispersed and I started thinking how I could directly gave a book to ex President Ford who happened to be there that day. About a month before I had given a 'Bhagavad-Gita’ hardbound to ex President Ford via his security team( he was standing about 25 feet away and they would not let me give it to him directly but said they would give it to him).
Anyway President Ford was at the golf tournament that day, and I was thinking how I could approach him and give him a book directly. So the idea came to me. “Wait a minute I thought, "Bob Hope is friends with all the presidents! He was very friendly with me. Perhaps he could help me with President Ford.”
So I went to the next hole where he was and I approached him again. I said, “Bob, could you do me a favor…( what was I thinking). He immediately retreated, or withdrew as it were from my presence, turning his face away from me in the other direction. I realized I had made a big mistake, and had presumed to much, as I walked away feeling foolish and dejected.
Then a funny thing happened. As I was walking, moping along with my shopping bag in hand, I noticed a golf cart in my peripheral vision, going about the same speed as I was walking. It was Bob Hope driving the cart with the women’s champ from the year before, Julie Inkster. He looked at me and yelled out jokingly, "Hey, what do got in the bag? A bunch of divets!?( clumps of grass made after hitting the golf ball. People collect them for keep sakes.) After saying this they both sped away briskly laughing all the way. To this day I took it that Bob let me off the hook, by speaking to me again, thus, letting me know everything was alright.
Later that day I put down my paper bag(I had that much common sense), and made a bee line right for President Ford just after he tee’d off. His security were momentarily covered over and no one stopped me. I handed him an Origins magazine(our Krsna Conscious rebuttal to the atheistic magazine Omni.) I explained how he cared about the people in the world, and how this magazine could help him in his endeavors to help the people of the world. But he seemed rather put off as he trembled(his arm literally shaking with the magazine in it), as he turned around with a look of disgust and hurled it into his golf cart. He was probably wondering how I got through his security, or maybe he was just adverse to Krsna in the form of the magazine!
The next time I met him Bob Hope was in New Orleans. I overheard someone say Bob Hope was in 'Pat O'Brian’s’(a famous restaurant/bar).
I went in, and there was Bob, a hundred years old. He was sitting at the table alone(his eyes were drooping and showing the red around the borders) His wife was standing up with 3 or four friends nearby the table. They seemed pretty oblivious to Bob, so I took my cue, and went right up to him and said, "Bob, I don’t know if you remember me, but, I met you at your Classic in the 80’s and gave you a couple of books, and you were joking with me.”
He looked up at me and acknowledged what I had just said. Then I said, “I have gift for you also today. I sat right down next to him at the table, Then I said, "It’s a book called 'A Second Chance’( it was hardbound). Then I flipped through the pictures, with the Yamadutas and Visnudutas, and Ajamila laying on his deathbed, all the while explaining to Bob the story of Ajamila and how he was saved at the time of death by uttering God’s Holy Name.
As I left him I marveled at the special mercy he was receiving from Krishna in his final days( he died shortly after that) and how kind Krishna was to come to him near the end of his life, and how kind Krsna was to let me be his instrument to give him that mercy.
Srila Prabhupada’s Transcendental Book Distribution ki Jaya!