Thomas Family Legacy
One of ten children born to immigrant parents, Danny Thomas entered the world during a blizzard in Deerfield, Mich., on Jan. 6, 1912. He began to help support the family at age 10 by selling newspapers, and at 11 he became a candy maker in a burlesque theater, a job he held for seven years.
Danny saved enough from jobs as a bus boy, punch-press operator's assistant, and a lumber yard watchman to buy a couple of suits and several pairs of shoes so he could go to Detroit to look for a job in show business. One of his first jobs in Detroit was that of a singer on a radio show called "The Happy Hour Club."
All About Terre Thomas
Terre Thomas has been a member of the ALSAC/St. Jude Board of Directors and Governors since 1980. During those years, she has participated fully in the decisions that have led to the hospital's current expansion.
Terre has been a spokesperson for the hospital before many groups across the nation. It is a role that comes to her quite naturally since she grew up learning about St. Jude at the family dinner table.
In 1991, after the death of her father, Danny Thomas, Terre was made a sister of Epsilon Sigma Alpha, St. Jude's largest third-party contributor. Terre assumed the role of her father as keynote speaker at the annual ESA convention. Terre has also been initiated as a full member in the Delta Delta Delta Fraternity, which has pledged millions of dollars to St. Jude. Tri Delta's contribution most recently was recognized in the naming of the patient care floor of the Chili's Care Center, which opened in 2007.
Although she grew up in California and has strong connections to Memphis and Nashville, she is truly at home all over America. Terre is an accomplished singer-songwriter. She made her professional debut at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, played Harrah's Club in Lake Tahoe, sang on The Tonight Show and made a series of television commercials. She sings frequently on behalf of St. Jude and appears across the nation for the Country Cares for St. Jude Kids® radiothons, a fundraising program started in 1989 by Randy Owen of the group Alabama.
Terre, along with her sister, Marlo, and brother, Tony, hosts the annual Runway for Life® Celebrity Fashion Show in Hollywood, which raises $1 million a year for St. Jude and attracts many of Hollywood’s brightest stars. In 2004, Marlo, Terre and Tony created Thanks and Giving®, a national campaign that encourages holiday shoppers to “Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not.” During the months of November and December, consumers are asked to help raise funds at participating retailers by adding a donation at check out or by purchasing specialty items to benefit St. Jude. Thanks and Giving has been featured on NBC’s Today show in multiple segments spotlighting patients, doctors, scientists and the ground-breaking research and treatment at St. Jude.
Terre writes country music, sings frequently on behalf of St. Jude and appears across the nation for the Country Cares for St. Jude Kids® radiothons, a fundraising program started in 1989 by Randy Owen of the group Alabama.
All About Marlo Thomas
Actress, producer and social activist, Marlo Thomas has been a role model for women and children since she blazed the trail as television’s first single woman living alone in the hit series That Girl. She has produced numerous inspiring projects, such as the best-selling television specials, books and records Free to Be…You and Me and Free to Be … A Family. She is the author of the New York Times best seller The Right Words at the Right Time as well as The Right Words at the Right Time, Volume 2: Your Turn!, and Thanks and Giving: All Year Long.
Marlo began her career performing in regional theaters around the country, when Mike Nichols cast her as the lead in the London production of Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park. She then went on to star in and produce the long-running hit television series That Girl. Marlo has appeared in several Broadway productions, television films and feature films. She has made guest appearances on the hit television shows Friends, Ally McBeal and Ugly Betty.
Over the course of her ground-breaking career, Marlo has received a GRAMMY® award, four Emmys®, nine Emmy® nominations, a Golden Globe®, the George Foster Peabody Award for Television Excellence, the American Women in Radio and Television Satellite Award and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for exceptional humanitarian efforts and outstanding contributions to our country.
The eldest child of founder Danny Thomas, Marlo proudly serves as National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and hosts A Place of Hope, an hour-long television special that documents the lifesaving work of St. Jude. Marlo attends events around the country to promote St. Jude with corporations, individual donors and other celebrities. She has been actively involved in solidifying support for St. Jude with such partners as Target, Sterling Jewelers, Williams-Sonoma, Kmart, CVS/pharmacy, AutoZone, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and the Wall Street community, among many others. Marlo, along with her brother, Tony, and sister, Terre, also hosts the annual Runway for Life Celebrity Fashion Show in Hollywood, which raises $1 million a year for St. Jude and attracts many of Hollywood’s brightest stars. In 2004, Marlo, Terre and Tony created Thanks and Giving®, a national campaign that encourages holiday shoppers to “Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not.” During the months of November and December, consumers are asked to help raise funds at participating retailers by adding a donation at check out or by purchasing specialty items to benefit St. Jude. Thanks to Marlo’s efforts, Thanks and Giving has been featured on NBC’s Today show in multiple segments spotlighting patients, doctors, scientists and the ground-breaking research and treatment at St. Jude.
All About Tony Thomas
Tony Thomas, the only son of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas, is a member of the ALSAC/St. Jude Boards of Directors and Governors and is actively involved in fundraising efforts for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Formerly a partner in Witt-Thomas Productions and Witt-Thomas-Harris Productions, Tony was one of Hollywood’s most successful television producers.Tony and his partners were responsible for many of the most popular series on television, including Soap, Benson, The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, Blossom, Beauty and the Beast and The John Larroquette Show.
Tony and partner Paul Junger Witt first joined forces on the Emmy Award-winning 1971 television movie Brian’s Song. They also produced the feature film Dead Poet’s Society, a Touchstone Pictures release that met with resounding critical success and captured an Oscar for Best Screenplay.
In recent years, Tony has devoted himself to raising funds for St. Jude. In 2004, Tony and his sisters, Marlo and Terre, created Thanks and Giving®, a national campaign that encourages holiday shoppers to “Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not.” During the months of November and December, consumers are asked to help raise funds at participating retailers by adding a donation at check out or by purchasing specialty items to benefit St. Jude. Each year Tony has produced national public service announcements and movie trailers for the campaign, featuring celebrities such as Robin Williams, Jennifer Aniston, Morgan Freeman, Ray Romano, Will Smith, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jimmy Smits and the late Bernie Mac.
He is also active in many events throughout the country to benefit St. Jude, including representing St. Jude each year at the Stanford St. Jude Championship, one of the longest running events on the PGA TOUR. Tony, Marlo and Terre also host the annual Runway for Life Celebrity Fashion Show in Hollywood, which raises $1 million a year for St. Jude and attracts many of Hollywood’s brightest stars.
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