Father's Day 2021

Best wishes to all dads on their special day. Below is my dad's high school graduation photo, Class of 1925. His mom and dad were the son and daughter of first generation immigrants from Germany and Wales. He was afflicted with polio in his early years, but that didn't stop him. He graduated from high school in the midst of the Roaring Twenties, went to work to support his aging parents and married the love of his life in the midst of the Great Depression in 1933.

 

He was an entrepreneur at heart who was self-employed in the insurance and utilities industries and owned his own business by the early '50's. He left the Rust Belt in 1956 for even better careers in hospitality management, a field he loved dearly because of his commitment to quality service and customer satisfaction. He was "old school:" through and through and never met a stranger.

By example he demonstrated the value of living and building on a strong faith, a sound and loving marriage, a remarkable work ethic, civic engagement, and a love of country.  He also taught me the value of being an independent and critical thinker, of staying curious, and practicing life-long learning.  

Dad and the Old Tybee Ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park, 1954

Dad passed away forty years ago. I'm sure I speak for others who have lost their fathers that not a day goes by without a wish to have our dads and their guidance with us once more. How fortunate we were to have such beacons in our lives. And how fortunate are those who still have fathers in their lives.

Happy Father's Day and a big "Thank You" to my dad, Bill, and father-in-law, Vergil, and to fathers everywhere.