Fathers and Boats

Jun 21

The first celebration of Father's Day was on June 19, 1910 at the YMCA in Spokane, Washington. Because of the example of her dad, Sonora Smart Dodd desired to honor fathers the same way we honor our mothers. The genesis of that desire was her dad’s selfless devotion to her and her siblings. Her dad, William Jackson Smart, was a twice widowed, Civil War veteran who ended up raising 14 children from his two marriages as well as three children from his second wife’s previous marriage. If nothing else, raising 14 children with selfless devotion should have earned him a place in heaven!

As the path to canonization is not always direct, neither was the making of Father’s Day. A bill was introduced in Congress in 1913 to grant national recognition of our fathers. That was not successful. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson, trying to stoke the memory and enthusiasm of Sonora Smart Dodd, went to Spokane to speak at a Father's Day celebration with the hope of making it official, but again Congress resisted. President Calvin Coolidge recommended in 1924 that the day be observed by the nation, but stopped short of issuing a national proclamation since two earlier attempts to formally recognize the holiday had been defeated by Congress. In 1957, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith accused Congress of ignoring fathers for 40 years for only recognizing mothers and not both parents. It was not until 1966 when President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. It then took six more years for Father’s Day to be declared a permanent national holiday when President Nixon signed a bill into law on April 24, 1972.

It certainly took a long time to get there, but fortunately we have this day to celebrate and honor our fathers and the important role fathers and father figures have in our lives. Senator Smith was right. Since our parents are our first teachers, the role of mother and father are paramount to us as individuals as well as to who we are as a society and culture. Many of our attributes, attitudes, perspectives, desires, and dreams are rooted in our parents.

This weekend we honor our fathers for the selfless devotion they offered us and helped us to become who we are today.

If you are looking for something unique to do, you can head up to Barnegat Light Yacht Basin, (18th Street and Bayview Avenue) for the annual Blessing of the Fleet on Sunday, June 21 at 5:30 p.m. For over 50 years this interfaith blessing unites our LBI community as the boats, captains and crews are blessed and prayers are raised for the safety of all boaters, crew members, and for a bountiful harvest. Sounds like a great day way to celebrate dads, especially if they are boaters.

May God continue to bless all of our dad and bless all of us with Peace and All Good.