Gift Basket home > Gift Basket
Info Center > Father's Day
Does a Father by Any Other Name Nurture as Sweet?
Yes!
Click here to see
our selection of Father's Day.
 Father's
day was established as a day to commemorate the roles of fathers
in parenting. The idea of the day was first presented by the daughter
of a widowed father of six, Sonora Smart, from Spokane Washington
in 1909. Determination and persistence saw the eventual formation
of The National Father's Day Committee in New York City 1926.
“When Father’s Day was created as a holiday, the creators
surely imagined honoring the traditional role….but as we know,
it “takes a village”. This brings us to the question
of what it takes to be a father.
Any man can sire a child, but it takes a special man to be a father.
Certainly father's day as a celebration of fathers, and their roles
in nurturing and developing a child as a mentor with guidance, sacrifice,
care and inspirational role model must include any man who has fulfilled
this role in our lives. These are the men so deserving to be honored
on this day called father's day.
The word mentor is just one word. But the importance a mentor plays
in our lives is beyond the capabilities of just one word.
A mentor helps to define and realize potential and teaches a young
life how to reach their goals. They encourage positive choices and
promote high self-esteem. A mentor is a teacher, coach, counselor,
guide, motivator, an advisor and a role model.
Father's day is the day we are reminded of these amazing men in
our lives. A day to say thank you to them.
Here are just a few celebrities who have embraced and declared
the role of their mentor in the achievement of their lives success.
For some it was a father, for all it was a man who is their mentor.
Kenneth Cole:
Footwear and accessory designer Kenneth Cole of, Kenneth Cole Productions,
established in December 1982.
Kenneth Cole was not only successful at building his business, he
is very much successful at being a good man who has made a difference
in the lives of so many.
In 1985, he was the first member of the fashion community to take
a public stand in the fight against AIDS.
He speaks of his father as the man who invited him to share in his
world. His father was an inspiration as a role model who took a
personal interest in the people who worked for him. A man whose
passion for life touched the lives around him
It was with the encouragement of his father he went on to build
his own successful business.
In Kenneth’s own words he says that he was lucky that he had
such a great role model to provide him with the tools for success.
He attributes his success to values he learned from his father.
Expressed here so beautifully from Kenneth himself. “My father,
my mentor, by his example, was a testament to the value of hard
work and the concern for one's fellow human beings. He did everything
with all of his heart as well as his "sole."
Gwen Ifill:
Gwen Ifill is moderator and managing editor of "Washington
Week" and senior correspondent for "The NewsHour with
Jim Lehrer." Her resume impressive resume includes five yeas
as the chief Congressional and political correspondent with NBC
News, and the White House politics for The New York Times
Gwen attributes her confidence to strive for success to her parents
who taught her the lesson of possibility.
But there is another man she credits for her inspiration, a college
professor by the name of Alden Poole
She states that it was Alden Poole who gave her the idea of working
in news rooms and suggests that it was he who helped her to get
her first internship leading to her first job.
I can’t help myself but smile when she is quoted as saying
that she had the voice of Allen Poole in her head when the challenge
to overcome the obstacle of low expectation from her peers. The
words that gave her the courage to continue against usual circumstances
(Gwen was a young black woman working in an old white man’s
world) "Ah, you can do it. Just go in there and show 'em, give
'em what for”
Brian Williams:
Brian Williams is anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News.
Brian credits a teacher named Bob Kitzin who instilled the gift
of excitement in learning in him and took the time to take Brian
as his protégé
Brian believes that it is because of Bob Kitzin and his ability
to create a willingness and eventual thirst for great literature
that he unconsciously made the journey from mediocre to better
In Brians own words “He laid down that foundation in my life,
and I think were it not for him, I wouldn't have become a serious
thinker in life.”
It is clear that those in our lives who have made a difference
to who we are have not always been the man we call “Daddy”
Very often he goes by another name. But always he has been our rock.
This father's day take the time to consider who this celebration
commemorates, then remember to say "thank you for supporting
me and encouraging me to be the person I am today".
|
