November 24, 1999

ON BEING THANKFUL FOR CELEBRATED FRIENDS AND ALLIES

It's appropriate at this time of year to offer an expression of thanks to the many celebrities who've taken MDA's cause to their hearts -- stars ranging from Sir Laurence Olivier to Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra to Bill Cosby, Milton Berle to Jerry Seinfeld, and Gregory Peck to Celine Dion. Of course, MDA National Chairman and Telethon Star Jerry Lewis remains the paramount example of a celebrity who has willingly surrendered time and energy in service to MDA's cause.

Many celebrities have helped MDA by appearing with Jerry on our annual MDA Telethon. Some have helped by being part of MDA information campaigns through print or broadcast public service messages. Some have pitched in by meeting and spending time with the families MDA serves. Some have lent their star power to public events such as openings of MDA research centers. Others have helped privately by giving donations to support MDA's research, medical services and summer camp programs.

With the glamour that's usually associated with celebrity life, it's easy to forget that celebrities are real people with real passions, real foibles and real insecurities. Many, understandably, expend considerable effort erecting metaphorical "walls" around themselves to guard what little privacy remains to them. In some cases, it's been my job to break through that protective wall and gain the celebrity's trust; it's a task that can be exceedingly difficult, and yet tremendously rewarding.

In the early 1970s, when MDA's national headquarters was in New York, I set my sights on gaining the trust of international opera star Maria Callas and convincing her to appear on our Telethon. Armed with a dozen roses and more chutzpah than I had a right to possess, I knocked on the diva's door at Manhattan's Plaza Hotel and asked if I might visit with her. She admitted me to her suite with some trepidation and didn't relax until I explained that I was there hoping to enlist her help in the fight against muscular dystrophy.

Supreme soprano Maria Callas joins Jerry Lewis on the 1971 MDA Telethon.

To my delight, she greeted the idea enthusiastically, expressing a desire to do anything she could to help "Jerry's kids." She explained that she was a great Jerry Lewis fan, having seen him perform at the Cirque d'Hiver in Paris, and felt that he possessed extraordinary talent.

Not only did Maria appear on our 1971 Telethon, she met with me and a group of young Telethon volunteers following the show for a wide-ranging discussion that lasted several hours -- during which time she removed her shoes and settled herself on the floor of my room in the Americana Hotel surrounded by the admiring throng.

Afterward, Maria stayed in close touch with me for many months. Our conversations ran the gamut from discussions about what she should wear on various occasions to exchanges about the eye examination I'd urged her to have because I recognized, almost as soon as I met her, that she was having problems with her vision. When she did finally have that examination and discovered that she had glaucoma, she called me and wept, bemoaning the fact that she'd have to put drops in her eyes every day for the rest of her life. I tried to console her with the thought that this would certainly be preferable to going blind.

I'll always be grateful to have experienced a very human and caring side of this supreme vocal artist. Maria Callas died in 1977. Truly, I can never forget the gift she gave by lifting the veil that protected her much-valued privacy and making herself open to my request in MDA's behalf.

MDA National Vice President Scott "Carrot Top" Thompson spends time with one of "Jerry's kids," 6-year-old Justin Mahan (in Carrot Top wig) of Pueblo, Colo.

Even today, it's a humbling experience to discover how much celebrities truly care about MDA's cause and, in particular, about the children and adults MDA serves.

Carrot Top, whose unruly mop of red hair and inventively creative brand of prop comedy have made him a top name on the American comedy scene, has become a favorite guest on our annual Telethon. However, this talented performer, who is well-loved by children as well as adults, has expanded his commitment to MDA beyond his one-day-a-year involvement in our Telethon.

He's made a habit, one that's deeply appreciated by all of us at MDA, of taking time to meet with MDA families and volunteers during his frequent travels as he performs his comedy at venues across the country. Of course, this means he gives up time that might otherwise be devoted to private pursuits. In recognition of the compassion and concern he's shown for the people MDA serves, Carrot Top, whose real name is Scott Thompson, has been named an MDA national vice president.

Although space precludes mentioning them all, I gratefully salute the celebrities who've been a rich part of MDA's history and have contributed immeasurably to the advancement of our Association's goals.

With every best wish . . .

The Ross Report Archive