Radio stars (July 1933)

RADIO STARS mi THE STORY OF CHEERIO... You'll find Wallace McGill, Gerry Riegger, Lornie Gilbert, Pat Kelley, Harrison Isles and the famous canaries — all of Cheerio's program — in the above picture. But you won't find Cheerio there — because he is one of the few people who really hates publicity. By ANNE PORTER WEST HERE is the story of a man who wanted to do good for others and did it. At times we have all had the urge for human service, but most of us let it go at that. Seven years ago this man we are talking about was in business in San Francisco. Each morning he went to work like any other business man. It happened that a friend of his fell ill and so, on the way to the office, this certain man used to drop in on his friend and say "Hello." Each time he could see that the sick man was cheered by his visit, and he would go on down to work with the warm glow of satisfaction at having been able to do some one a good turn. And then one day the thought came to this business man that there must be many sick people in the world in need of just such a friendly boost as he was giving every day to his sick friend. He thought how wonderful it would be if by some means he could reach all those shut-ins, be able to give each one of them a friendly greeting. Then it came to him how he could do it. By means of the radio. He saw for the first time what radio broad casting could really mean. It would make it possible for him as an individual to do a good deed not only for one person, but for thousands, for hundreds of thousands. He talked to his friend, Dr. Ray Lyman Wilbur, then president of Stanford University and a past president of the American Medical Association. He told him of his idea, how he wanted to put on a bright, cheering program every morning which would be a sort of mental daily dozen for those could not take their physical daily dozen. Dr. Wilbur said that the idea was a sound one, that the program would help not only the sick, but also those in good health who were, for one reason or another, sorrowing or discouraged or upset on any particular morning. AND so with the aid of Dr. Wilbur and several other r\ friends who believed that the proposed program had sound therapeutic value, this certain man made arrangements to go on the air every morning before he went to his office. Cheerio he called himself, and he dedicated the program to the "somebodies somewhere" who had need of what he had to give. (Continued on page 44) Here is an amazing man who actually gives something away for nothing 22