Sonora Louise Smart Dodd was a girl who appreciated her father. Born in Arkansas in 1882, she was only 16 when her mother died in childbirth. As the oldest girl, she helped her father, Civil War sergeant William Jackson Smart, raise all her five younger siblings. Later, as a grown-up living in Spokane, Washington, Dodd heard a sermon in church about a new holiday, Mother’s Day. She thought about all her soldier father had done for his country and his family. Why on earth shouldn’t fathers have a special day, she thought? She began a campaign to honor them. In 1910, Spokane celebrated its first Father’s Day. Dodd was way ahead of her time. While Father’s Day had a few celebrants around the country in the next decades, it wasn’t until 1966 that Father’s Day moved toward official status. In that year, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared the third Sunday of June to be Father’s Day. Six years later, President Richard Nixon signed a permanent national observance of the day. Incidentally, Dodd’s father was born in June. Dodd lived until the age of 96, which means she was still around to see Father’s Day become a national celebration. So what are you doing to celebrate the father or father figures in your life this year? Is his garage already brimming over with tools and his drawers overflowing with socks and ties? My this is the year for something small and special. Like, for instance, jewelry. Van Scoy carries a fine selection of men’s bracelets, necklaces, cuff links and rings. The stainless steel dog tag outlined with diamonds is the perfect combination of toughness and bling. You can choose between several crosses to proclaim the faith of the Christian father in your life. For something simple, get Dad the stainless steel chain bracelet. A few nice things about fine jewelry from Van Scoy:

• takes up little space
• lasts a lifetime