Blessed are our fathers and our Father
Newspaper Section
Ninety-nine years ago this year, a woman heard a sermon on Mother’s Day that gave her an the idea that there should also be a Father’s Day.
Sonora Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state.
By Capt. Budd Neviaser
