 This is my granddaughter, Tracy, Tracy, and I'm Jason. Hi, this is my granddaughter, D-Mom. This is my granddaughter, Christina, the head of the president. Hi, this is my granddaughter, Lance. Hello, the president. Hi, darling, I'm Lance. This is Tony Thomas. Tony Thomas. Hi. Larry Thomas. Hello there. I'm Ron. Hi. Hello. Do you say hello to the president? Yes, I do. These two are my friends. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you. You met the vice president. How are you? Nice to see you, sir. How are you? How are you? I'm just fine. Thank you. Wonderful to meet you. Hello. Hello. How are you? I don't know, Jeff. She's duplexed on me. I don't control any call me yesterday, and they said she was an arrowhead. That secretary here was a dog. She just kept calling back to you. That's a good help to you. Yeah, I feel great. I don't feel good. You must have lived there. They agreed on something. That's my kid. That's my kid. That's my kid. Members of the Thomas family, members of the Congress who are here, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Welcome to the White House. You know, when I was told that we'd be hosting you here in the Roosevelt room, first I was a little concerned. This room can get awfully crowded, as you can see, and neither Danny has a good family and a lot of friends, and then I figured out what to do. I just called the staff together and said, just four words, make room for daddy. Danny Thomas, you were born of Lebanese immigrant parents in Deerfield, Michigan, January 6, 1914, and around here that makes you a young whippersnapper. That boy, you became a candy butcher in a vaudeville house and first felt the lure of the stage. And soon you were earning pocket money by clowning at banquets. At 20, you were hosting a Michigan radio show in the 22nd year, Mary Rosemarie. And just a few months later, however, you lost your job. Because the middle of the Depression and the work was hard to come by. You were forced to consider giving up show business, and in desperation, you prayed to St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes. I find myself praying for it once and for a while. The very next day, you were offered a radio job in Chicago and a job at Shafer Lee, and your career began a steep climb which has never ended. The Chicago radio serials led to nightclub performances, USO tours, and movies no one will ever forget. The Unfinished Dance, 1947, The Big City, 1948, The Jazz Singer, 1953. If I'd been getting films like that, it'd still be in Hollywood. In 1953, you began the televised phase of your career with a certain show called Make Room for Daddy, which in 1957 became The Danny Thomas Show. At one point, your program was seen by more than 40 million Americans a week. And you ruled the airwaves as the undisputed king of television comedy. When your show finished its run, you remained active on television through your production company. Today, you continue to manage that company and make frequent show business appearances. You've made millions life then, and America will always be grateful. Yet the award you will receive in a moment is not for your show business career, but for your, quote, humanitarian efforts. And it goes back to that prayer to St. Jude those many years ago. St. Jude interceded with the Almighty on your behalf. You've been thanking him ever since by funding and working ceaselessly for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. St. Jude Hospital, which specializes in childhood cancer research, is supported primarily by funds from volunteer contributions and grants. Proceeds from your concerts and commercials go directly to the hospital, and every summer the hospital hosts a week-long golf tournament, the Danny Thomas Golf Classic, using most of the proceeds to help fund St. Jude Hospital's important work. Danny, you once remarked, they say I'm a sentimentalist, and I am. I'm so sentimental I cry a basketball game. Your life, however, bespeaks no mere sentiment, but a deep and abiding love. A love for your God, your country, your family, and your children. The thousands of them who benefited from St. Jude Hospital. Danny Thomas is my high honor to present you with the Congressional Gold Medal and to tell you that on this day, America says, we love you. We love you right back. The highest honor of my life, and I'm grateful to you, sir, for presenting us on behalf of the Congress of the United States, and the presence of the Vice President, the presence of the Vice President of the United States. And to my family, it's a great day. It's a great day for our family. And to my other family, the American Lebanese-Syrian Associated Charity. What a great day. Did you ever dream back in 1957 that this could happen to us? But it has happened. And the great benefactors of St. Jude who are here is Joan Croft, who is the boss lady of the Padre. He makes all those hamburgers. Big contributors. And Franco Bryan, and I always want to say federal expression. American Express, never leave home. I never leave home without him. With the money. With the non-colonies. The great columnar ties. All great contributors. And all the contributors. And I particularly wanted to thank Congressman Nick Rehoff, who was the catalyst to which all of this happened. Then, of course, the fellow members of Congress came along. It took a time. But why not? They tell me they don't do this very often. I am eternally grateful to God and to you, Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, and to my fellow Americans for presenting me with this high honor in my lifetime, particularly in the presence of my grandchildren. Thank you very much. I just invite them to Italian bits.