Our traditional Father’s Day began in 1909 when Sonora Smart Dodd thought her dad deserved special recognition. Mr. Smart was a widower raising six children in Spokane, Washington. Ms. Dodd visited churches, local establishments, and government officials, and quickly the State of Washington celebrated the first official Father’s Day on June 19, 1910.
It did not take long for national recognition when President Woodrow Wilson acknowledged the day in 1916 by sending a telegraph signal from Washington D.C. that unfurled a flag in Spokane. The holiday became official in 1972 when President Nixon signed a proclamation making the third Sunday in June Father’s Day.
Recently, however, dads have been transformed in the media from the wise and understanding as in the Andy Griffith Show and Father’s Knows Best, to the clueless and foolish as in the Simpsons and Modern Family. This may be significant, or maybe not, but it is something to think about.
One thing is for sure, every dad needs to hear at least one day each year that they are the best dad in the world.
Jeff Bensch 