Mrs. Dodd did not consider Fathers Day as an important time to celebrate, until after she became an adult. Then she became more conscious of her father’s hard work and dedication.
One Sunday Mrs. Dodd heard a sermon that stressed the importance of setting aside a day to honor mothers. She began to think about her father’s sacrifice, and reflected on what her father meant to her. Senora Louise admired her dad for his years of commitment to the six of them, especially since he had taken care of them by himself.
With the support of the Spokane, Washington Ministerial Association and the YMCA, their efforts rendered success.
Fathers Day debuted in Spokane, Washington on June 19, 1910. The rose was chosen as the Fathers Day flower, white for the deceased father and red for the father that is living. After the Spokane celebration, the Fathers Day observance spread to other cities and towns throughout the United States.
In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge supported Fathers Day as a national tradition, but it wasn’t until 1966 that President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation ordering the third Sunday in June to be appointed as Fathers Day.
Today Fathers Day puts a smile on retailers’ faces. Greeting card stores are busy before Fathers Day Sunday, with people lined up to pick out that perfect card. Department store clerks hurry to check out purchases at the cash register, and the shopping malls are congested with young and not-so-young children doing their annual Fathers Day shopping. After church on Fathers Day, the restaurants will be filled with families taking their dads’ out for delicious meals, or many backyards across the United States will be the gathering place of families around the grill and picnic table. You can smell the aroma of charcoal and barbecue linger in the air. What a grand day!
Happy Fathers Day to all of you Fathers! Enjoy! You deserve it!
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