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Legendary entertainer Bob Hope, who starred in such Broadway shows as Roberta, Ziegfeld Follies of 1936, and Red, Hot, and Blue, will be one of the many figures honored by the U.S. Postal Service through commemorative postage stamps in 2009.

Among the other individuals who will receive their due next year are actor Gary Cooper, poet Edgar Allan Poe, author Richard Wright, civil rights activist Medgar Evers, U.S. Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis, and U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.

In addition, the U.S. Postal Service will issue a set of 20 stamps on August 11 entitled "Early TV Memories," which will honor such shows as I Love Lucy, You Bet Your Life, Dragnet, The Honeymooners, and The Ed Sullivan Show.

In addition to his theater work, Hope was beloved for his long career in films and television, and especially for entertaining U.S. troops overseas for many decades.