From 1963-66, one of Hartford's biggest radio promotions was the annual Danny Thomas Teenage March Against Leukemia.

Each spring thousands of Connecticut teens spent a day walking several miles collecting money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, founded by Thomas.

For the first four years this promotion was the exclusive property of WDRC. But for some unknown reason the station declined to take part...
or lost the rights...to arch-rival WPOP.

WPOP gave Danny's cause everything they promotionally had in the springs of 1967 and 1968. The article above details plans for WPOP's first effort on May 21, 1967.

The image to the right promotes WPOP's involvement in the 1968 Teenage March Against Leukemia.

While WDRC took the promotion back in 1969-70, The Big 14 wasn't done with Danny Thomas.

Alumnus Lee Gordon provided the photo (below) of WPOP staff with Danny Thomas on the front steps of the Cedar Street studio building, circa 1974, during a St. Jude's Hospital Radiothon.

Pictured are (back row l-r:) Dick Springfield, Charley Steiner, Danny Thomas, the reigning Miss Connecticut (Lee believes her name was Debbie LaRoche, and she might later have become an account executive at WDRC), Jack Carney, Jeff "Captain Afternoon" Henderson and (front row l-r:) Ron "the Rock 'n Roll Pig" Lake, GM Bob Gruskay & Lee Gordon.