Originally called the Palm Springs Golf Classic, the Bob Hope Classic was christened in 1965 when Bob Hope allowed his name to be used for the tournament with the understanding that proceeds from the Classic would chiefly support Eisenhower Medical Center, as well as other Coachella Valley charities. The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic remains among the most significant and cherished sources of support for Eisenhower Medical Center.

A ribbon cutting ceremony and the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic’s annual check presentation to Eisenhower Medical Center will be held January 17 at 2:30 p.m. at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Medical Building at Eisenhower (formerly known as Hope Square, adjacent to the Eisenhower Lucy Curci Cancer Center). Attendees will include Tom LaSorda, Chief Executive Officer and President, Chrysler Group; Steve Morton, President and Tournament Chairman, Bob Hope Chrysler Classic; Tim Finchem, Commissioner, PGA TOUR; Harry M. Goldstein, Chairman of the Board, Eisenhower Medical Center; G. Aubrey Serfling, President and Chief Executive Officer, Eisenhower Medical Center and other Eisenhower Medical Center executives.

Now, in its 47th year, the Classic has gone from raising $2,000 to help the Medical Center in its early years to a million dollars on an annual basis. “This is an appropriate testament to what this wonderful PGA tournament has done to benefit the entire health of the Coachella Valley,” says Michael D. Landes, President, Eisenhower Medical Center Foundation.

Eisenhower Medical Center is a not-for-profit, comprehensive health care institution distinguished nationally as a 100 Top Hospital by Solucient®, the national market leader for benchmarks and trends in business health care. The campus includes the 253-bed Eisenhower Hospital, the Betty Ford Center at Eisenhower, the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center at Eisenhower, and the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences at Eisenhower. The medical center is renowned for its Centers of Excellence in Orthopedics, Cardiovascular at the Eisenhower Smilow Heart Center, and Oncology at the Eisenhower Lucy Curci Cancer Center. Situated on 130 acres in Rancho Mirage, the medical center has provided a full range of quality medical and educational services for more than 30 years for residents and visitors to the greater Coachella Valley. For more information, visit www.emc.org.