Lansing in Ingham County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Muzyad Yahkoob “Danny Thomas”
1914-1991
Photographed By Bill Rieske, June 1, 2017
1. Muzyad Yahkoob “Danny Thomas” Marker
Danny Thomas’s first audiences on Detroit radio knew him as Amos Jacobs, the anglicized form of his Lebanese birth name. His CBS radio show in the late 1940s made him nationally known, but he is best known as a television producer and star, and especially for his long running sitcom, Make Room For Daddy.
In the early 1950s Thomas began to fulfill a promise made during his financially precarious Detroit years. Mobilizing fellow entertainers, the city of Memphis, Tennessee, and the American public, he built St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for children with catastrophic diseases. Thomas also founded the ALSAC, a charity through which his fellow Arab Americans and others continue to support the hospital.
Erected 2007.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Communications • Entertainment • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Walk of Fame series list.
Location. 42° 44.148′ N, 84° 33.135′ W. Marker is in Lansing, Michigan, in Ingham County. Marker can be reached from N. Washington Avenue near E. Ionia Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Elijah McCoy 1843-1929 (a few steps from this marker); William Crapo “Billy” Durant 1861-1947 (a few steps from this marker); Walter Reuther 1907-1970 (a few steps from this marker); Gordie Howe (within shouting distance of this marker); Eero Saarinen (within shouting distance of this marker); Jonas Salk (within shouting distance of this marker); Drs. Pearl Kendrick and Grace Eldering (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Mack-e-te-be-nessy “Andrew J. Blackbird” c. 1815-1908 (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lansing.
Also see . . . Danny Thomas, from Wikipedia. (Submitted on June 15, 2017, by Bill Rieske of Lansing, Michigan.)
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, January 23, 2023
2. Muzyad Yahkoob “Danny Thomas” 1914-1991 Marker
The marker is embedded in the concrete sidewalk.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 1, 2017, by Bill Rieske of Lansing, Michigan. This page has been viewed 309 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 1, 2017, by Bill Rieske of Lansing, Michigan. 2. submitted on January 29, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
