On this day in 1910 the first Father's Day was celebrated in Spokane, Washington. Father's residing in every other state were unable to celebrate from what I could gather. On June 19, 1910, young members of the YMCA went to church wearing roses: a red rose to honor a living father, and a white rose to honor a deceased father. It took many years to make the holiday official. In spite of support from the YWCA, the YMCA, and churches, Father's Day ran the risk of disappearing from the calendar. Where Mother's Day was met with enthusiasm, Father's Day was often met with laughter. The holiday was gathering attention slowly, but for the wrong reasons. It was the target of much satire, parody and derision, including jokes from the local newspaper Spokesman-Review, written by up and coming comedienne Joan Rivers. Many people saw it as the first step in filling the calendar with mindless promotions, but anyone who has a father must realize how crazy that is. Happy Father's Day to every male who has fathered a child or who has been an upstanding mentor to one.
"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything." Alexander Hamilton
