The Light That Succeeded

It seemed like the most surefire method ever devised to pry a contribution out of a citizen's pocket. "Lights On," it was called, and after working wonders in Phoenix, Ariz., it spread last week to Omaha.

It worked thus: for six days newspapers and radio stations warmed up Omahans for the big "lights on" ceremony, when all who wanted to contribute to the American Cancer Society drive would signify by turning on their front porch lights at 8 o'clock on a specified night. Just before the hour struck, 4,000 volunteer collectors fanned out through the city and stationed themselves at street corners. On the stroke of 8 factory whistles bellowed, sirens shrieked and radio stations passed the word:

The response was electric. Across the city (pop. 274,000) some 27,000 front porches glowed as the collectors bore down with envelopes at the ready. Noncontributors, conspicuous in their darkness, stood exposed before the neighborhood. An occasional householder edged outside to see what everyone else was doing, ducked back in to light up. But far more families went to great pains to be counted. At the Ralph Zeluf home, for example, collectors found a mechanic's work light nailed to the wall because there was no porch light. The Zelufs' daughter had lost a leg to cancer. Eight-year-old Mike Regan stood on his porch with a lighted candle so he and his sister could give a dollar. One A. G. Konvalin called in angrily to report that nobody had been in his block to pick up the money, was promptly deputized by telephone to do the job, and did it.

In 30 lively minutes, the cancer fund pocketed $25,000, topping all its previous Omaha records.

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