Father's Day marks 100th anniversary

[M.T. Al-Mansouri, Ph.D.]

Father's Day was started 100 years ago to dispel the notion that men were lazy, sleazy and drunk. (iStock)

Last Updated: Friday, June 18, 2010 / 1:38 PM E: Sunday is the day fathers around the world are celebrated, gifted with neckties and cologne and given a day free from lawn mowing and garage cleaning.

محمد عبده زيدي - يا حبيب العمر

يا حبيب العمر الاهداء الى روح السيد عبدالحميد سلام سعيد صالح المنصوري: محمد عبده زيدي

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu0jL2wX3GA&feature=player_embedded

https://poetsofottawa.ning.com/events/fathers-day-marks-100th

The first celebration of a fatherhood day was 100 years ago, and it was intended to change the perception of men in U.S. society.

Father's Day was started a century ago because inventor Sonora Smart Dodd was upset by widespread mocking of fathers in popular culture as lazy, sleazy and drunk.

While today's fathers have come a long way, some would say they could once again use an image boost thanks to the much-mocked antics of the likes of Tiger Woods and Jon Gosselin.

On the 100th anniversary of Father's Day, men's image could use a boost thanks to the antics of people like Tiger Woods. (Matt Slocum/Associated Press)

It's easy to take shots at dads who mess up, but it's important to focus on the important role of men, said Michael Gurian, an author who specializes in the struggles of men in the modern world.

"Making fun of guys to get them to perform and prove themselves, that's always going to exist," Gurian said. "But we have to equally celebrate them and empower them."

For Dodd, the last straw was a church sermon in 1908, when her priest rambled on about the newly created Mother's Day and the importance of mothers.

"I liked everything you said about motherhood," Dodd recalled telling the priest in a 1972 interview. "However, don't you think fathers deserve a place in the sun, too?"

Her father, William Smart, survived the Civil War and then moved west to seek his fortune. His wife died in the winter of 1898, while giving birth to their sixth child.

But Smart, with the help of Dodd, the eldest child and only girl, held the family together. Dodd became convinced of the importance of fathers, at a time when they were not considered that relevant to the family.

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"Without fathers you would have no civilization," Gurian said.

He acknowledged that men tend to take more risks, fool around more and suffer more crippling addictions than women. They also seem slower to mature these days, often living at home into their 20s.

"Father's Day is hopefully a time when the culture says, 'This is our moment to look at who our men and boys are,' " he said. "If we don't protect fathering, we are going to really be messed up."

Dodd certainly did her part. She pushed for the first Father's Day celebration, which was held in June 1910 in Spokane, Wash.

But Smart, with the help of Dodd, the eldest child and only girl, held the family together. Dodd became convinced of the importance of fathers, at a time when they were not considered that relevant to the family.

محمد عبده زيدي الدودحية

ا لاهداء الى روح الشهيد نورية بنت اوئيس السروري حرم المرحوم عبد الحميد سلام وام الدكتور محمد توفيق المنصوري : محمد عبده زيدي - الدودحية

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHXKCKZcu6o&feature=player_embedded

https://poetsofottawa.ning.com/events/fathers-day-marks-100th

Sonora Smart Dodd, the mother of Father's Day. (Spokesman-Review/Associated Press)

He acknowledged that men tend to take more risks, fool around more and suffer more crippling addictions than women. They also seem slower to mature these days, often living at home into their 20s.

'She was a businesswoman and knew how to get things done'—Father's Day founder's granddaughter

"Father's Day is hopefully a time when the culture says, 'This is our moment to look at who our men and boys are,' " he said. "If we don't protect fathering, we are going to really be messed up."

Dodd certainly did her part. She pushed for the first Father's Day celebration, which was held in June 1910 in Spokane, Wash.

Fathers in church were given red roses, and people whose fathers were deceased wore white roses.

Some also credit the invention of the holiday to Grace Golden Clayton of Fairmount, W.Va., who is said to have suggested to the pastor of her church in 1908 that he hold a service in honour of fathers.

The campaign for a national holiday

But it was Dodd who campaigned nationally for the holiday.

Mother's Day was quickly accepted as a national holiday, with U.S. Congress in 1914 designating the second Sunday in May. Father's Day had a much longer road, perhaps reflecting the societal split involving mothers and fathers. It was not until 1966 that president Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honouring fathers and set the third Sunday in June as Father's Day.

In 1972, president Richard Nixon signed the law that made it permanent, to the delight of necktie and golf club makers everywhere.

Dodd died in 1978 at age 96 and is buried in Spokane.

"She was a businesswoman and knew how to get things done," said Barbara Hillerman, Sonora Dodd's only grandchild. "I sent my grandmother a Father's Day card every year."

محمد عبده زيدي

محمد عبده زيدي - الشك عني ابعده الى روح الوالد عبد الحميد سلام السراج

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https://poetsofottawa.ning.com/events/fathers-day-marks-100th

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محمد عبده زيدي - باراعي لك

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A6LAj45kb8&feature=related

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محمد عبده زيدي - كفاية حب

https://poetsofottawa.ning.com/video/fathers-day-marks-100th-1

الفنان العدني احمد علي قاسم - القمر كم بايذكرني

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2flxDr04g9U

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