SEPTEMBER 11 IS NATIONAL GRANDPARENTS DAY.
Grandparents Day falls on the second Sunday in September. This year, that date is September 11. September 11 will always be one of the most siginficant dates in American history...not because of National Grandparents Day, but for the catastrophic loss of life at the Twin Towers in New York City. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the horrific event and we will all pause to pay our respects to those who died at the hands of ruthless assassins. Among the thousands who died were, no doubt, baby boomer parents and Grandboomers. While marking Grandparents Day, we should pause to remember those special people as well.
As reported in this blog last year, here’s some background on how NGD got started, compliments of Wikipedia:
National Grandparents Day is a secular holiday celebrated in the United States on the first Sunday after Labor Day. It is celebrated in the United Kingdom on the first Sunday in October.
Marian Mccardy of Oak Hill, West Virginia, has been recognized nationally by The United States Senate—in particular by Senator Jennings Randolph; Senator Robert Byrd and President Carter—as the founder of National Grandparents Day. McQuade made it her goal to educate the youth in the community about the important contributions seniors have made throughout history. She also urged the youth to "adopt" a grandparent, not only for one day a year, but rather for a lifetime.
In 1973, Senator Jennings Randolph introduced a resolution to the Senate to make Grandparents Day a national holiday. West Virginia's Governor Arch Moore had proclaimed an annual Grandparents Day for the state, at the urging of Marian McQuade. When Senator Randolph's resolution in the U.S. Senate died in committee, Marian McQuade organized supporters and began contacting governors, senators, and congressmen in all fifty states. She urged each state to proclaim their own Grandparents Day. Within three years, she had received Grandparents Day proclamations from forty-three states. She sent copies of the proclamations to Senator Randolph. In February, 1977, Senator Randolph, with the concurrence of many other senators, introduced a Joint Resolution to the Senate requesting the President to "issue annually a proclamation designating the first Sunday of September after Labor Day of each year as 'National Grandparents Day'." Congress passed the legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day and, on August 3, 1978, then-President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation. The statute cites the day's purpose as: "... to honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children's children, and to help children become aware of strength, information, and guidance older people can offer".
Some people claim the origin of the holiday resides with the efforts of Hermine Beckett Hanna of North Syracuse, New York, recognizing seniors and their importance as early as 1961. On February 21, 1990, New York Congressman James T. Walsh recognized the efforts of Hermine Beckett Hanna in front of the U.S. House of Representatives, thanking her "for her important role in the establishment of Grandparents Day."
As reported in this blog last year, here’s some background on how NGD got started, compliments of Wikipedia:
National Grandparents Day is a secular holiday celebrated in the United States on the first Sunday after Labor Day. It is celebrated in the United Kingdom on the first Sunday in October.
Marian Mccardy of Oak Hill, West Virginia, has been recognized nationally by The United States Senate—in particular by Senator Jennings Randolph; Senator Robert Byrd and President Carter—as the founder of National Grandparents Day. McQuade made it her goal to educate the youth in the community about the important contributions seniors have made throughout history. She also urged the youth to "adopt" a grandparent, not only for one day a year, but rather for a lifetime.
In 1973, Senator Jennings Randolph introduced a resolution to the Senate to make Grandparents Day a national holiday. West Virginia's Governor Arch Moore had proclaimed an annual Grandparents Day for the state, at the urging of Marian McQuade. When Senator Randolph's resolution in the U.S. Senate died in committee, Marian McQuade organized supporters and began contacting governors, senators, and congressmen in all fifty states. She urged each state to proclaim their own Grandparents Day. Within three years, she had received Grandparents Day proclamations from forty-three states. She sent copies of the proclamations to Senator Randolph. In February, 1977, Senator Randolph, with the concurrence of many other senators, introduced a Joint Resolution to the Senate requesting the President to "issue annually a proclamation designating the first Sunday of September after Labor Day of each year as 'National Grandparents Day'." Congress passed the legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day and, on August 3, 1978, then-President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation. The statute cites the day's purpose as: "... to honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children's children, and to help children become aware of strength, information, and guidance older people can offer".
Some people claim the origin of the holiday resides with the efforts of Hermine Beckett Hanna of North Syracuse, New York, recognizing seniors and their importance as early as 1961. On February 21, 1990, New York Congressman James T. Walsh recognized the efforts of Hermine Beckett Hanna in front of the U.S. House of Representatives, thanking her "for her important role in the establishment of Grandparents Day."
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