This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women

In 2003, Dan Gediman read a book of essays from the original 1950s This I Believe radio show. He found it interesting that so much of the book’s content was as relevant in the 2000s as it was 50 years previously. He researched the origin of the radio series, and discovered that its catalyst was the death of Margot Wheelock in 1949. A week before her untimely demise, she had saved a newspaper clipping on the importance of finding inner balance in one’s life, which deeply affected her bereaved husband Ward Wheelock. 

Wheelock became convinced of the importance of introspection and the self-acknowledgement of personal beliefs. When conversation at a lunch meeting turned to current hardships besetting the American people and the need for spiritual support and guidance, the concept of This I Believe was born. The meeting’s attendees were Wheelock, who would fund and produce the radio show; the founder and CEO of CBS, William S. Paley, who would provide office and studio space and offer the show to all CBS affiliates if it proved successful; Donald Thornburgh, the local manager of a CBS affiliate who would air the initial broadcasts in Philadelphia; and one of the most famous and respected broadcasters of the day,