*Chances are you’ve probably never heard of William Smart. Back in 1909 his daughter Sonora Louise Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington proposed the idea of Father’s Day after hearing a sermon about Mother’s Day. She wanted a special day to honor her father.
William Smart – a Civil War veteran – was widowed when his wife died giving birth to their sixth child. Despite the difficulties, he raised all of his children alone on a rural farm. It is Sonora Smart Dodd who is credited as the founder of the official American national holiday. Initially, she approached the Spokane Ministerial Alliance and suggested her own father’s birthday, June 5, as the day of honor for fathers. The Alliance apparently liked the idea but chose the third Sunday in June instead.
So, the first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane. Although the observance of the holiday started to fade, over time, the idea of Father’s Day became popular again and was embraced across the nation.
The first president to express his support for National Father’s Day was Calvin Coolidge back in 1924. It took until 1956 when a Joint Resolution of Congress officially recognized the holiday, and a decade later, President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation that declared the third Sunday of the month of June to be a national observance of Father’s Day. In 1972 President Richard Nixon made it a permanent national observance.
By the way, Sonora Louise Smart Dodd suggested the white or red rose to be the official flower for Father’s Day – white for the deceased; red for the living.
Father’s Day is celebrated in many parts of the world; it’s celebrated on the third Sunday in the United States, Canada, and many Asian countries. It’s celebrated on March 19th in Spain and Belgium. Sweden celebrates the holiday in November; New Zealand celebrates it on the first Sunday of September.
Today, let’s celebrate our fathers. If they are deceased, whisper a prayer in their memory. If they are alive be grateful – place your hand in their hand; go by to see them; call them on the phone; let them know in your own way how much you care and appreciate them. Happy Father’s Day!!
My father, Milton W. Buford
Larry Buford is a contributing writer. Author of “Things Are Gettin’ Outta Hand” and “Book To The Future” (Amazon). Email: [email protected]
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