Father’s Day
Jun 16, 2023 08:06AM ● By Verlene Johnson
Sonora Smart Dodd was raised, along with her five brothers, by her widowed father William Smart. After sitting through a church service on Mother’s Day in 1909 Dodd came up with the idea to have a day to honor fathers. Over the next few months, she was able to convince the Spokane Ministerial Association, along with the YMCA to set aside a Sunday in June to celebrate fathers. She proposed June 5, her father’s birthday, but the ministers thought it was too close to Mother’s Day, so they picked the third Sunday in June so they would have more time to prepare their sermons. On June 19, 1910, the first Father’s Day was celebrated in Spokane Washington.
Father’s Day took a lot longer to catch on than Mother’s Day. One historian writes, they “scoffed at the holiday’s sentimental attempts to domesticate manliness with flowers and gift-giving, or they derided the proliferation of such holidays as a commercial gimmick to sell more products–often paid for by the father himself.” In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge signed a resolution in favor of Father’s Day “to establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations.” In the 20s and 30s there was an effort to combine both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day into one holiday and call it Parent’s Day. The effort was derailed by the Great Depression. When World War II began, many argued that celebrating Father’s Day would be a way to honor American troops and support the war effort. By the end of the war, Father’s Day while still not a federal holiday had become a national institution.
In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed an executive order that the holiday be celebrated on the third Sunday in June. Finally in 1972, Congress passed an act officially making Father’s Day a national holiday.
Most Americans celebrate Father’s Day with a family gathering, having picnics and BBQ’s. Convenience stores from Old Farm Market in Mountain Green to Hinds in Peterson to Nebco, and 7-11 in Morgan are ready with a supply of treats and gift cards for dads. Local restaurants such as Grounds for Coffee, The Post, Taggart’s Grill, Morgan Cafe, Stoddard Inn, Phoenix house and Subway will be open on Sunday to treat your Father to a meal out locally. If you are looking to take dad out on Saturday, some local options are River Burger, Deb’s Spicy Pie, Smokin’ Boxcar, and Larry’s To-Go. λ
