Happy Father’s Day.
Today belongs to the fathers, stepfathers, adoptive fathers, foster fathers, grandfathers, uncles, mentors, and every man who accepted the responsibility of helping guide a child through life. Some earned the title by birth. Others earned it by choice, by sacrifice, by patience, and by showing up when it mattered most.
Father’s Day has never carried quite the same attention as Mother’s Day, but that does not make it any less meaningful. Too often, the day passes with a quick phone call, a card, or a backyard meal before life moves on again. Yet for many families, the role of a father is one of the most important influences a child will ever know.
The history of Father’s Day reaches back to 1910, when Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, wanted to honor her father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran who raised six children after the death of his wife. Her effort helped begin a tradition that later became a national holiday in 1972.
More than a century later, the meaning remains simple. Father’s Day is a reminder to say what should be said more often.
To every father across Grants Pass, Josephine County, Southern Oregon, and beyond, thank you. Thank you for the long days, the quiet worries, the lessons, the discipline, the encouragement, and the love that often came without applause.
To every stepfather and adoptive father, thank you for choosing love. Thank you for proving that family is not only built by blood, but by commitment, loyalty, and the willingness to stand beside a child as your own.
Today, call your father. Visit him if you can. Tell your stepfather, adoptive father, grandfather, or father figure that you appreciate him. Say the words while they can still be heard.
From all of us at the Grants Pass Tribune, Happy Father’s Day, and may this day bring peace, gratitude, and blessings to every man who helped raise, protect, teach, and love the next generation.