It is amazing to me think that I've been doing this Blog since about 2014 (I think!), and only today did I notice that I've never done a posting about Father's Day! I know that I've posted the picture to the left of my own magnificent father before, and I've written about
his participation in World War II. And within my family, I have a couple more veterans, my brother-in-law Dave and my brother Pat, both of them veterans of the U.S. Navy. And there is nephew Pat Jr., who served in the U.S. Army. There is another brother, not me, but my brother John who is a Dad. And two more nephews (both of whom are taller than me), and a couple of nephews in law all of whom, just like the men mentioned above are excellent fathers and husbands. I wish them all Happy Father's Day!
A Bit of the History of Father's Day
There are versions of Father's Day across the world on which we celebrate our Fathers and show our filial devotion to the men who brought us into this world. In Americca, the first celebration is thought to have been a memorial service held for the men who had been killed in the Mining Disaster which took place in Monongah, West Virginia in 1907. But following that, it seems to have been the inspiration of a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd (pictured,right) (1882 - 1978), a native of Arkansas. When listening to a sermon about the newly created Mother's Day at the Central Methodist Church in Spokane, Washington. Ms. Dodd held her own father, a Civil War veteran very dearly in her heart, and after hearing the sermon felt that there should be a day to honor fathers as well. She spoke with church leaders about her idea which was well received. They chose the third Sunday in June as the date. So Father's Day was first celebrated in Spokane on June 19, 1910.The Date Changes Over Time
Observance of the day faded over the course of the following decade. But it regained popularity ans in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson wrote a telegram to the leaders of Spokane praising them for their celebrations of the day, and the great orator William Jennings Bryan
spoke out in favor of observance of the day.And getting closer to our own time, President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring that the third Sunday in June to be Father's Day. And in 1972 President Richard Nixon established the third Sunday in June to be the permanent observance of Father's Day. Of course there are hundreds of merchants and department stores which try their best to cash in with sales of all kinds. But Ms. Dodd that she thought anything to honor our fathers was fine with her. So let's get going with parties, and toasts to the loving spirit of our fathers, and warm memories of those, who like my own Dad are no longer here to share them with us.
Sources =
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father%27s_Day
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/jun/18/it-started-here-sonora-dodd-the-spokane-mother-of-/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonora_Smart_Dodd