Happy Father's Day!

Sun Jun 19, 2022

My father, Gleason L Archer, Jr, was a great dad....he was calm and intelligent and friendly to everyone he met, from the cashier at the grocery store to Billy Graham, the famous evangelist. He was funny but always level headed and told you what you needed to hear.

He wrote books for seminary classes that I still get paid for 40 years later...I still love him and miss the influence he had on me growing up, but know that he gave me my love for languages and helping people so I am grateful for that :)

This picture was taken at my high school graduation many years ago, and it's still my favorite picture of him and me.

So when is Father's Day?

Father’s Day in the US is the third Sunday in June, designated to honor fathers. Credit for originating the holiday is generally given to Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, whose father, a Civil War veteran, raised her and her five siblings after their mother died in childbirth.

Sonora is said to have had the idea in 1909 while listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day, which at the time was becoming established as a holiday. Local religious leaders supported the idea, and the first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, the month of the birthday of Dodd’s father.

In 1924 U.S. Pres. Calvin Coolidge gave his support to the observance, and in 1966 Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson issued a proclamation that recognized the day. It became a national holiday in 1972, when Pres. Richard Nixon signed legislation designating the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day.

So that's why we celebrate our fathers on this day, or if you aren't a father, you can celebrate your own father, like I am here .... thanks Dad! :)

Laurel Archer
A North Carolina-based teacher and lover of language and reading. She loves to find fun ways to teach English and connect with people all over the world.

Happy Father's Day!

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