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Tag: Marlo Thomas

  • Marlo Thomas Center Opens at St. Jude

    Marlo Thomas Center Opens at St. Jude

    St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital this week officially opened its Marlo Thomas Center for Global Education and Collaboration. The 38,000-square-foot center is part of the organization’s new $200 million St. Jude facility in Memphis Tennessee.

    According to St. Jude the center will be used to coordinate research, education, and treatment of children with cancer. The center includes a new medical library, two auditoriums, and several meeting rooms to support St. Jude postdoctoral and graduate fellows.

    “One of the guiding principles of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has always been to share discoveries with the global research community to speed progress against childhood cancer and other catastrophic diseases,” said Dr. James Downing, president and CEO of St. Jude. “This center is a brick-and-mortar extension of that philosophy, offering researchers at St. Jude and around the world an innovative space to learn, to share, and to develop the next big advances in science and medicine.”

    The center is named after Marlo Thomas, the former TV actress best-known for her role as Ann Marie in the TV show That Girl. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was founded by Thomas’ father, Danny Thomas, in 1962. Marlo Thomas has been the organization’s spokesperson since 1991 and now serves as its National Outreach Director.

    Post by Marlo Thomas.

    “This building is the celebration of a generation and I am proud to stand as a symbol for all of us who heard the stories as children about how our immigrant grandparents came to this country and carved out a life for their families with their own hands,” said Thomas. “And how they stood shoulder to shoulder with my father as he envisioned this great hospital and became, as he called them, an army of ‘proud beggars’ for the world’s sickest children. That this new center bears my name is a tremendous honor to me, and in accepting it, I vow to continue to be a proud beggar on behalf of children around the world.”

  • Leelee Sobieski Welcomes Second Child

    Leelee Sobieski Welcomes Second Child

    Actress Leelee Sobieski welcomed a baby boy with fashion designer husband Adam Kimmel in July, and kept the birth a secret from the public for over four months.

    The baby was named Martin Kimmel, and is the couple’s second child. The two also have a daughter named Louisanna Ray, who was born in December, 2009.

    Commenting on motherhood, Sobieski, 31, said, “I just can’t believe I’m a mom. It’s weird! You look at your own mom differently. I realized, ‘You changed all my diapers? You did that?’ You really appreciate your mom.”

    Regarding her nuptials to Kimmel in 2009, Sobieski revealed that she had saved herself for marriage. “I guess 26 is kind of old to lose your virginity, but it was important to me that I remained a virgin until after I was married. It wasn’t for any religious reasons or anything like that, but simply because, to me, my virginity was the most precious gift that I could ever give to a man, and I wanted to be sure I was giving it to the right man,” the actress remarked.

    Sobieski is best known for the title role in the 1999 TV drama Joan of Arc, which garnered her Golden Globe and Emmy nominations.

    Here is the trailer for Joan of Arc:

    Also in 1999, Sobieski appeared in Stanley Kubrick’s controversial Eyes Wide Shut, alongside Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The actress earned her second Golden Globe nomination for her work on the TV movie Uprising in 2001.

    Incidentally, Sobieski starred alongside Marlo Thomas in the 1994 TV movie Reunion.

    Thomas has been in the news of late, as she is set to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama. The medal is the highest civilian honor.

  • Marlo Thomas To Receive Presidential Medal Of Freedom

    Marlo Thomas To Receive Presidential Medal Of Freedom

    Marlo Thomas is one of the 19 recipients receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from the White House. The medal is the highest civilian honor given to “individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”

    Thomas, a native of Detroit, Michigan, rose to prominence as an actress. She is best known for her work in the television series That Girl which aired from 1966 to 1971. She now serves as the national outreach director for St. Jude’s Children Hospital, a facility founded by her father in 1962. The hospital focuses on pediatric cancer and other diseases plaguing children.

    In a statement released by the White House, they said, “Whether championing equality for girls and women, giving voice to the less fortunate, breaking barriers by portraying one of television’s first single working women on ‘That Girl,’ or teaching children to be ‘Free to Be You and Me,’ Thomas inspires us all to dream bigger and reach higher.”

    Other recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom include author Isabel Allende, journalist Tom Brokaw, economist Robert Solow, composer Stephen Sondheim, actress Meryl Streep, and musician Stevie Wonder, among others.

    U.S. Representative John Dingell will also be receiving the award. Dingell represents Michigan’s 12th Congressional District and is the longest-serving congressman in U.S. history. He will be retiring soon, after serving since 1955.

    According to President Obama, “From activists who fought for change to artists who explored the furthest reaches of our imagination; from scientists who kept America on the cutting edge to public servants who help write new chapters in our American story, these citizens have made extraordinary contributions to our country and the world.”

    The ceremony will be held at the White House on November 24th.