Long before celebrity fund-raisers were an everyday occurrence, Ralph Edwards pioneered appeals for causes large and small through his radio and TV programs. Many requests for contributions were inspired by the worthy honorees profiled on This Is Your Life: endowing a pioneering educator's school for poor black Mississippi children (Dr. Laurence C. Jones), enlarging a rural hospital (Dr. Kate Newcomb), or helping Hiroshima survivors (Rev. Kiyoshi Tanimoto).