Lexington VA Medical Center

We salute our Veteran dads for their important role as fathers…

In celebration, we salute our Veteran dads for their important roles as fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers.  We also take our hats off to their families, friends, and all who support them in this role. 

According to DeWayne Hamlin, Medical Center Director, the origin of Father's Day can be traced to the ancient ruins of Babylon.  Nearly 4,000 years ago, a young boy named Elmesu is believed to be the first to carve a Father's Day message on a clay card. 

However, Ms. Sonora Louise Smart Dodd, from Spokane, Washington, is credited for bringing a Father’s Day celebration to the U.S. in 1909. Tragically, her mother died giving childbirth.  Her father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran, raised six children with love and care.
 
“Ms. Dodd was a devoted daughter who showed strong admiration and respect for her father when she began a rigorous campaign for a Father's Day celebration,” comments Hamlin.  With the support of the local Ministerial Association and YMCA, Spokane celebrated its first Father's Day on June 19, 1910.

President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's Day in 1924 to "establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers, the full measure of their obligations." After a protracted struggle of over four decades, President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the third Sunday of June as Father's Day in 1966.

In 1972, President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance on the third Sunday of June.

Sonora Smart Dodd was honored for her contribution at the World's Fair in Spokane in 1974. She died in 1978 at age 96.

“This Father’s Day – We Encourage You to Share a Special Message with your dad,” says Hamlin.  Is there something you always wanted to tell him, but haven’t?  A special memory you never told him that you cherish?  Thank you for something he did for you along the way?  Why not share it with him this father’s day?  “Calling, texting, and tweeting are just some of the ways you can reach out to him with a special Father’s Day message,” reminds Hamlin. 
If you’ve suffered the loss of your father, you might consider posting your favorite memory on your Facebook or sharing it with a family member or close friend.

“We, like Senora, have strong admiration and respect for all our Veteran dads,” says Hamlin.  “We consider it a privilege to care for your healthcare needs and wish you all a very Happy Father’s Day!”