Very much so, although we were not taught to speak
known for rising to chairman of Fox Broadcasting
Arabic. My grandparents wanted both my mother and
Company in 1993, making her the first woman to
father to integrate into American society, and they did
head a broadcast television network. She later went
not make it a point of pride to speak Arabic because
on to found and lead United Paramount Network.
they felt discriminated against, and they wanted their
Her sister Jane and her husband Lee Seidman,
children not to have an accent or be viewed as
founder of The Motorcars Group in 1958, pledged
anything but American citizens. To that end, my
$42 million in 2010 to University Hospitals in
grandfather, Fred Thomas, ran for Ohio State
Cleveland for its cancer center and $23 Million to the
Senator and his son, George Thomas, became a US
Cleveland Clinic between 2007 and 2009. So I’ve
Air Force Colonel – his brother, William Thomas,
always had a serious crowd of professionals around.
became a Federal Judge and another brother, Neil
There were no musicians in the family, although my
Thomas, became a Federal tax agent. Their sister,
father could have easily been a professional because
Tilley and her husband Halim Mady, had two
he had great ears and a deep sense of time, and he did
daughters, Lucille Salhany and Jane Seidman, who
love to play percussion. Maracas and whistling was
have both distinguished themselves. Lucille is best
his thing, and he was rather good.