How Father’s Day began

By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
    For all the famous real or fictional fathers in movies, television and books, the most important father or male parenting figure is the man who shines in a child’s life. Sometimes it’s a father, step-father, uncle, cousin, neighbor, friend or a combination of outstanding men in that particular child’s life.
    He is the consistent man who is there with fatherly guidance, unwavering love and firm discipline to help a child find helpful answers in a confusing world while still finding time to share experiences like a sporting event, an extra-curricular activity at school, a church service, a cookout or the answer to a math problem. Sometimes “Dad” is the one who stays home to take care of the children and the household chores.
    By some accounts, a day to recognize the importance of fathers in our lives got started a 4,000 years ago when a young Babylonian boy, Elmusu, wished his father good health and a long life by carving a special message on a clay card. Although we don’t know what happened to them, there have been various traditions of having a special way to honor fathers throughout the world since ancient times.
    But in America, there are two generally accepted origins of the modern Father’s Day holiday. And although both started about a year apart, they sprang up on different sides of the country at a time when women did not have the right to vote, Oklahoma had only recently been admitted into the U.S. as the 46th state and plastic had not even been invented.
    The first known celebration of Father's Day in America was in Fairmont, W. Va. on July 5, 1908. A woman, Grace Golden Clayton, is said to have suggested a recognition of fathers to her pastor. This was following the deaths of many young men and fathers who left 250 widows and more than 1,000 orphans behind after an explosion in a nearby town about six months earlier. Several accounts attribute her deep empathy for the survivors and the loss of her own father in 1890 to her efforts to establish a holiday.
    And about a year later, a young woman in Spokane, Wash., Sonora Smart Dodd, thought of the idea while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Dodd’s father, a Civil War veteran, had reared her and her siblings after their mother died. It’s generally accepted that she wanted to express to him his importance in her life. She approached the Spokane Ministerial Alliance and suggested an official recognition in June for fathers. The alliance chose the third Sunday in June.
    Early reaction to the complement to a Mother’s Day observance was mixed at best, not garnering the  enthusiasm that had been expressed for mothers. But, in 1924, President Calvin Coolidge recommended that Father's Day become a national holiday. In 1926, a National Father's Day Committee was formed in New York City. And, by 1956, a Joint Resolution of Congress recognized Father’s Day. Although President Lyndon B. Johnson designated the third Sunday of June to be Father's Day in 1966, it was not until 1972 that President Richard M. Nixon instituted Father's Day as a national observance.
    With roses as the official flower on Father's Day — red for fathers who were still living and white for those who have passed on — it mimics the customary wearing of flowers for Mother’s Day. And, dad often gets the proverbial necktie as a best bet for a gift.
    National Retail Federation President and CEO Tracy Mullin says despite the global recession, Americans will spend upwards of $9 billion this year on Father’s Day gifts which is slightly down from last year. And neckties aside, an emphasis this year will be on gifts families can enjoy together as the summer kicks into gear, such as cookout and recreation equipment,  electronics and even a dinner out.
    But, the homemade gift or card is sure to win Dad’s heart every time, especially when accompanied by a big hug and a reminder that you think he’s really special.
FATHER-SON RUN — Hogan Marquis, left,  and his father Roger  teamed up for a marathon 500-mile run from Fort Kent to Kittery to raise scholarship money for Camp CaPella’s programs.