September 8th, 2024 is National Grandparent’s Day, a day of celebration of your parents and your children and the special bond they have. This holiday is a relatively new one, with origins in 1969, but was officially designated in 1978 and first celebrated officially nationwide in 1979.
Here’s the backstory of Grandparent’s Day in the United States…
In 1969, nine-year old Russell Capper sent a letter to then President Richard Nixon, suggesting a special day be designed as ‘Grandparents’ Day’. The president’s personal secretary Rose Mary Woods sent a reply back to Russell in June of that year, saying,
“Thank you for your letter to President Nixon. Your suggestion regarding a ‘Grandparent’s Day’ is appreciated, but the president ordinarily issues proclamations designating periods for special observance only when a Congressional resolution authorizes him to do so. With best wishes, Sincerely, Rose Mary Woods.”
So, is Russell responsible for the creation of Grandparent’s Day? In a word, no.
The United States Senate, specifically Senators Jennings Randolph and Robert Byrd, and then President Jimmy Carter, nationally recognized Marian McQuade, an American elder rights activist from West Virginia, as the founder of National Grandparent’s Day. McQuade began her campaign for a National Grandparent’s Day in 1970, hoping it would allow nursing home patients a special time to connect with their families. West Virginia Governor Arch Moore proclaimed the states’ special day on May 27th, 1973. But it wouldn’t be recognized nationally and officially until six years later. In September 1978, President Carter called McQuade to inform her that he had signed a bill designating the Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparent’s Day, beginning in 1979.
The official statute cites the day’s purpose to be… “…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 that older people can offer.”
The forget-me-not is the official flower of Grandparent’s Day, even though it blooms in the spring.
McQuade insisted throughout her campaigning that the day itself be focused on family time and homemade gifts, rather than being commercialized. She also urged youth without a grandparent to adopt one (or two), not just for one day a year, but for life. McQuade even at one point turned down royalties from a company selling Grandparent’s Day greeting cards. She was recognized in 1989 by the US Postal Service with her own 10th anniversary commemorative envelope in honor of National Grandparent’s Day.
McQuade had 15 children which brought her the joy of new grandchildren 43 times! They all must have made for a wonderful Grandparent’s Day for her and husband Joe, whom she first dated in high school. Marian McQuade passed away at the age of 91 in 2008.
From all of us at Parkview Senior Living, thank you to Marian McQuade for her tireless work so we all can say “Happy Grandparent’s Day!”
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