Gee whiz! The Beav makes a Danville stop
DANVILLE – Robin Johnson made an unexpected stop at the Danville Public Library on Thursday after driving by and seeing a big orange bus promoting prescription help.
Even more unexpected was seeing the prescription program's spokesman sitting in the lobby.
"Hey, look, it's the Beave!" said Johnson, pointing excitedly to Jerry Mathers, former child star of the 1950s and '60s series "Leave It To Beaver."
"I watched that show when I was a kid. I always thought he was so cute. And he still is," said Johnson after talking to Mathers and getting an autographed black and white picture of him in his Beaver Cleaver days.
Mathers, who is on a five-day, three-state bus tour promoting the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, didn't sport the ball cap and freckles he had as a kid in the pictures he was autographing, but was instantly recognizable to those expecting to see him and those unexpectedly surprised to see him, like Johnson and her daughter, Presley, 10.
Mathers signed autographs, posed for pictures and visited with people, many of whom were fans, but also spread the word about the availability of prescription assistance for the uninsured and chronically ill.
Jerry Mathers, star of 'Leave it to Beaver,' signs an autograph for a fan at the Danville Public Library on Thursday. By Noelle McGee
Johnson stopped, because the day before she had a conversation with a friend who had no insurance and could not afford her medication.
"She does not have any type of insurance, nothing," said Johnson, who picked up literature for her friend.
Most people who walk through the doors are the opposite of Johnson, Mathers said, and they come to meet him and get an autograph, but aren't aware of the PPA program.
About half of those he talks to, he said, either need the assistance themselves or know someone who might need the assistance.
Jeff Gilbert, spokesperson for PPA, said during their stop in Danville on Thursday afternoon, they signed up about a dozen people who likely will qualify for prescription assistance through PPA, a free, confidential program based in Washington and sponsored by pharmaceutical research companies. It provides a single point of access to information on 475 public and private patient assistance programs to help match people with the medication they need.
Mathers said it feels good to help people, and that's why, after some research into the PPA program, he decided to help promote it. He said there may be no such thing as a free lunch, but this program is the exception.
Mathers said he is diabetic and understands how important it is for people to get the medication they need. In Iowa, he said he met a woman in her 20s who had lost her job, had multiple sclerosis and couldn't afford her $2,500-a-month medication. She signed up for the PPA program, he said.
Gilbert said Mathers is good with people, because he can relate to all age groups.
Mitch Donithan of Chrisman drove 43 miles from Paris when he heard that Mathers was at the Danville Public Library.
"Oh man, of all the kids' shows I followed when I was a kid, the Beaver was my favorite," said Donithan, who got several signed pictures to take to friends and relatives.
Steve Schaub drove from Paxton to get an autographed picture.
"My wife is a big fan," said Schaub, who also watched it as a kid and still watches whenever he can find it on the television.
Mathers said it was his first time in Danville, and he was impressed to hear from library Director Barb Nolan about the lineup of entertainment stars from here, including Dick Van Dyke, whom he knows.
Mathers, who lives in the Los Angeles area, said he did an episode of "Diagnosis Murder" with Van Dyke, whom he sees from time to time and even bumps into at the mall and restaurants. He said the next time he sees him, they'll talk Danville.
"He's just a character," he said of Van Dyke.
More information about program
For more information about the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, go to www.pparx.org.
Also on this date
- Residents escape early morning fire in Champaign
- Friends remember 15-year-old slain in scuffle
- Pavement sinks on Walnut Street in downtown Champaign
- UI takes second in solar decathlon competition
- Carle cancels more flu shot clinics
- UI still doesn't have H1N1 vaccine for students
- READY school reeling from Champaign teen's shooting death
- Attorney change postpones sentencing in fatal shooting case
- UI president says early years crucial for success of children
- Obituaries