| Danny Thomas (Forever) Postage Stamp
As the star of the popular sitcom Make Room for Daddy, Danny Thomas (1912-1991)
was the consummate entertainer — but behind all the anecdotes and jokes was a serious humanitarian. In 1962, in gratitude for prayers
answered, Thomas opened St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where children receive treatment for catastrophic
diseases regardless of race, religion, or a family's ability to pay. "No child," Thomas insisted, "should die in the dawn of life."
TheDanny Thomas (Forever®) stamp features an oil-on-panel painting showing a smiling, tuxedo-clad Thomas in the foreground and St. Jude
Children's Research Hospital in the background.
"Make Room for Daddy", which aired from 1953 through 1964, earned Thomas an Emmy for
Best Actor Starring in a Regular Series, and he later produced such television hits as The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show,
and The Mod Squad — but Thomas saw St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as his ultimate legacy. Since its founding, St. Jude has
helped dramatically increase childhood cancer survival rates across America and around the world.
Tim O'Brien created the artwork for
the "Danny Thomas" stamp. William J. Gicker was the art director and Greg Breeding the designer.
The "Danny Thomas" stamp is being
issued in sheets of 20 self-adhesive Forever stamps. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce
rate. |
