[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 26 (Thursday, February 16, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H813-H814]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE DANNY THOMAS COMMEMORATIVE STAMP

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the life and work 
of Danny Thomas and of the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which 
is located in Memphis, Tennessee.
  This year marks the 50th anniversary of St. Jude's hospital and what 
would have been the 100th birthday of Danny Thomas. Commemorative 
postage stamps are one of the most visible and enduring ways that our 
Nation honors organizations and people. Today, the United States Postal 
Service will be celebrating the life and work of Danny Thomas with the 
commemorative stamp in my district of Memphis, Tennessee, at the St. 
Jude Children's Research Hospital.
  Danny Thomas was born on January 6, 1912, in Deerfield, Michigan. 
After saving enough money, he moved to Detroit to take up a show 
business career. One of his first jobs was on a radio show called ``The 
Happy Hour Club,'' which is where he met his wife, Rose Marie Mantell. 
He met her on the show, and he escorted her home for 3 years, traveling 
together on a streetcar. Finally, he proposed. They were married in 
1936, and they had three children whom the world pretty much knows--
Marlo, Tony, and Terre.
  When Rose Marie was about to give birth to their first child, Marlo, 
Danny Thomas was torn between his dedication to work and his 
responsibilities to his wife and his newborn daughter. Desperately, he 
sought relief in prayer. He knelt before the statue of St. Jude, the 
patron saint of hopeless causes, and begged for a sign. Should he or 
should he not remain in show business? He promised that if St. Jude 
showed him the way he would erect a shrine in his honor.
  Danny went on to become one of the best loved entertainers of his 
era, starring in many TV shows and movies. From '53 to '64, he received 
five Emmy nominations for a starring role in ``Make Room for Daddy,'' 
winning Best Actor Starring in a Regular Series in '53 and '54. The 
show also received an Emmy for Best New Situation Comedy

[[Page H814]]

in '53 and Best Situation Comedy in '54. He also produced comedy 
programs: ``The Dick Van Dyke Show,'' ``The Andy Griffith Show,'' ``The 
Real McCoys,'' and ``The Mod Squad.''
  Yet he never forgot his promise to build a shrine to St. Jude. He had 
conversations with his close friend and mentor, a native of Tennessee 
and archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Samuel Stritch. Cardinal Stritch 
was the cardinal in Toledo when Danny Thomas was in church, and they 
became close. Cardinal Stritch, who served time in Memphis at St. 
Patrick's church after he was in Nashville, which was his home, told 
Danny that the shrine to St. Jude should be a hospital where children 
should be cared for regardless of race, religion, or ability to pay. He 
told him that the hospital should be in Memphis, Tennessee.
  Cardinal Stritch was a great man for many, many reasons, but this was 
one of them--the creation of the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 
with Danny Thomas. The hospital, located in Memphis, is one of the 
world's premier centers for research and treatment of pediatric cancer 
and for other catastrophic children's diseases. It is the first and 
only pediatric cancer center to be designated as a comprehensive cancer 
center by the National Cancer Institute.
  Children throughout the United States and from around the world come 
to Memphis and in through the doors of St. Jude for treatment. 
Thousands more have benefited from its research, which is shared freely 
with the world global community. No child is denied treatment because 
of an inability to pay. The hospital has developed procedures that have 
pushed the survival rate for childhood cancers from less than 20 
percent when the hospital opened to 80 percent today. By U.S. News and 
World Report, it ranks as the number one children's cancer hospital in 
the United States. It was the first completely integrated hospital in 
the South, a condition demanded by both Danny Thomas and Cardinal 
Stritch. Black doctors treated white patients, and white and black 
patients were together in the same rooms.
  As one of Memphis' largest employers, St. Jude has more than 3,600 
employees, supported by a full-time fund-raising staff of almost 900 at 
ALSAC, which is the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities. The 
Shadiac family has a great history in running that charity. ALSAC/St. 
Jude, the fund-raising organization of St. Jude, is the third largest 
health care charity in America, and it raises money solely to support 
St. Jude.

                              {time}  1120

  Danny Thomas was presented with a Congressional Gold Medal in 1983 by 
President Reagan in recognition for his work with St. Jude Children's 
Research Hospital. He died in 1991 at the age of 79. His great 
accomplishments and altruism make him an American hero worthy of the 
honor a commemorative stamp imparts. His life perfectly illustrates how 
the American Dream can be within the reach of anyone, even an immigrant 
son of Lebanese parents with a humble upbringing.
  Mr. Thomas was an extremely compassionate man who certainly deserves 
nationwide recognition for his dedication to St. Jude and all the 
children that the hospital has helped over these 50 years. To this day, 
Danny Thomas is still a part of every child's experience at St. Jude. 
Children rub the nose of Danny's statue for good luck prior to every 
treatment, sure proof that he will always be a source of hope and 
inspiration.
  I was pleased to support this effort by leading a letter to 
Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, and I commend the United States 
Postal Service for selecting Danny Thomas.
  I urge everyone to contribute and to visit the St. Jude Children's 
Research Hospital. I congratulate St. Jude and the family of Danny 
Thomas for this honor and for all that they do for children of the 
world.

                          ____________________