Father's Day

E B R AT I N G CEL

Fathers

From Dude to Dad

A father is neither an anchor to hold us back nor a sail to take us there but a guiding light whose love shows us the way.

Father’s Day: a day to honor fathers and fatherhood … to celebrate the influence of fathers on society … and gather ’round the grill … or raise a glass … on the third Sunday in June every year.

The Origin of Father’s Day

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wo events that took place within a few years of each other are the roots of what grew into present-day Father’s Day.

Following the December 1907 explosion at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah, West Virginia, that took the lives of 362 men, a West Virginia church honored the memory of the deceased fathers with a one-time commemoration in July 1908.

This was the first observance explicitly in honor of fathers.

Inspired by a Veteran and Widower The following year in 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd went to churches, government officials and shop owners in Spokane, Washington, to drum up support for a special day to honor fathers. Dodd, one of six children, had been raised by her widower father, a Civil War veteran.

She was passionate about establishing an official day for dads that was equivalent to Mother’s Day, which had been organized in West Virginia the previous year. Notably, there had been precursors to Mother’s Day, from pre-Civil War Mothers’ Day Work Clubs to post-Civil War Mothers’ Friendship Day and Mothers’ Peace Day. Dodd was successful in her plight, and the nation’s first statewide Father’s Day celebration was held on June 19, 1910.

The Great Depression and World War II During the 1920s and into the early-1930s, a movement was brewing to combine Mother’s Day and Father’s Day into a single holiday known as Parents’ Day. Those in favor of a combined celebration to

love and respect both parents on the same day rallied every year in New York City’s Central Park. Their efforts to combine and decommercialize both holidays were paradoxically derailed by The Great Depression, with efforts redoubled by struggling retailers and advertisers to promote Father’s Day as a second Christmas for men.

Neckties, pipes and tobacco, hats, socks, golf clubs and other sporting goods were widely promoted, along with greeting cards.

World War II played an important role in the escalation of Father’s Day, with advertisers using it as an opportunity for families to honor American troops. And while Father’s Day was not yet a federal holiday when the war ended in 1945, it was most certainly a national institution.

Presidents Step In Over the years, U.S. Presidents made attempts to shed light on the day and to solidify a Father’s Day observance.

President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 unfurled a flag in Spokane via telegraph signals from Washington, D.C., and President Calvin Coolidge urged the observance of Father’s Day by state governments in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed a proclamation calling for Father’s Day to be celebrated on the third Sunday in June.

In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation – he did so in the middle of a hard-fought presidential re-election campaign – that made Father’s Day a federal holiday.

A Few Famous Fathers Winnie the Pooh was created by A.A. Milne for his son Christopher Robin and based on the boy’s teddy bear, which he received on his first birthday.

“Winnie” was the boy’s favorite bear at the London Zoo, which the father and son visited regularly, and “Pooh” was the name of Christopher Robin’s pet swan.

There’s a special bond between fathers and daughters, including those who share a talent. Frank and Nancy Sinatra are the only father-daughter collaboration to hit the enviable No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100, which they did in 1967 with their hit single “Something Stupid.”

“Isn’t She Lovely” was written by Stevie Wonder about his newborn daughter Aisha for his 1976 album. The splashing and objections near the end of the song – “Come on, Aisha. Get out of the water, baby.” – were recorded during a memorable moment they shared.

Dick Hoyt and his son Rick from Holland, Massachusetts, are known around the world for the 1,130 marathons, Ironman triathlons and other endurance events in which they competed as “Team Hoyt” until their last event, the 2014 Boston Marathon. Rick, who has cerebral palsy and communicates through a computer, inspired his father to become an athlete at age 36 when he typed “Dad, when we were running, it felt like I wasn’t disabled anymore!” after their first five-mile benefit race. Dick pushed his son in a wheelchair for running events, pulled him in a boat attached to a rope around his waist for swimming events and peddled from the back seat of a specially designed tandem bike for cycling events.

While the father of our country did not have biological children of his own, George Washington adopted his wife’s two children from her first marriage.

1912 Profound personal experiences inspired Halsey W. Taylor to dedicate his life to inventing a sanitary dispenser to provide safe drinking water in public places. In 1896, Taylor’s father died from typhoid fever after drinking contaminated water.

Years later, dysentery caused by suspected contaminated drinking water spread among workers at the company where Taylor was a plant supervisor.

In 1912, he invented Puritan Sanitary Fountain and the still-popular twostream Double Bubbler from the company’s original manufacturing facility in Warren, Ohio.

TIMELINE 1908 Following an explosion that killed 362 men at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah, West Virginia, an area church hosted a one-time commemoration that marked the nation’s first event explicitly to honor fathers.

1910 The first Father’s Day celebration was celebrated on June 19 at the YMCA in Spokane, Washington, to honor widower and father of six William Jackson Smart, as well as other dads.

1924 President Calvin Coolidge publicly supported plans for a national Father’s Day.

1966 A proclamation calling for Father’s Day to be celebrated on the third Sunday in June was signed by President Lyndon Johnson.

1972 Fifty-eight years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official, President Richard Nixon signed into law a permanent recognition of Father’s Day.

BY THE NUMBERS

72.2 million fathers in America n 4th largest card-sending occasion n 72 million cards given annually n 1st event explicitly honoring fathers was in 1908 n 07.19.1910 was the 1st statewide celebration n Celebrated in the U.S. on the 3rd Sunday in June n Declared an official holiday in 1972 by President Nixon n 900% increase in single dads since 1960s n $15,000,000,000 spent on Father’s Day gifts in 2020 n 75% of Americans celebrate Father’s Day n 40+ countries have a special day to honor fathers n

B Y T H E FA C T S n

The rose is the official Father’s Day flower, with red honoring living fathers and white honoring those who are deceased.

“Dad” is likely derived from “dada” or “tata” baby talk. n A necktie is one of the most common Father’s Day gifts. n The highest number of collect telephone calls is made on Father’s Day. n Stepdads, grandfathers, guardians and other father figures are also celebrated on this holiday. n Fathers generally agree on basic principles of parenting: educate and love your children, be a role model and continue to expand your thinking alongside your children. n Countries in Europe, Latin America and elsewhere honor fathers on St. Joseph’s Day, a Catholic holiday on March 19. n The number of stay-at-home dads has more than doubled over the last 10 years. n Over the last several decades, fathers have been spending more time on child care and housework. n

a d D s g w n i i t t h a r G b ifts e l e C Clothing Gift cards Consumer electronics Home improvement supplies Personal care products Tools and appliances Sporting goods Leisure items Automotive accessories

As we celebrate fathers, stepfathers and father figures on June 20, we also remember our company’s founder, William Henry Van Pelt III. Bill led by example and imparted great wisdom to his three children, their families and The Mid-Continent Companies family.

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