Jon Kyl, June 6, 2003

This year will mark my first Father’s Day without my dad. He died shortly before Christmas last year in Phoenix.

Some of you may know that for several years my father was a Congressman from Iowa (that’s where I went to high school). I can still remember how hard he worked - long days, every evening, and weekends.

My dad never expected me to follow in his footsteps and run for Congress, but I learned some important lessons from him when I did. When I was in high school, he taught me and some friends a lot about public speaking. A Republican, he was very proud of the collegial relationships he built with many of the Democrats he worked with in Congress. He also had a great love of the land that took many forms - an interest in farming, amateur photography, and many projects he undertook as an official at the U.S. Department of the Interior.

I’d like to think that many of my Dad’s qualities still live in me, and that I have been able to pass on similar traits to my children and grandchildren.

Fathers can be among our most important role models. In a perfect world, they definitely should be. Unfortunately, many children grow up without fathers or positive male influences. It’s tragic that the phrase "deadbeat dad" is now such a common part of our vernacular. So it’s certainly not a bad idea to set aside a time to honor those dads who helped support their families.

The idea of a Father’s Day (which this year occurs on June 15) has been around for more than a century. But it only gained permanent official observance in 1972, in a proclamation signed by Richard Nixon. While it still trails its equally deserving holiday counterpart, Mother’s Day, in the amount of attention received, it’s continually gaining prominence, especially in a society where the absence of fathers in many families is so notable.

The person credited with starting the Father’s Day movement - Sonora Smart Dodd - was in fact listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909 when the thought of a separate day occurred to her. Mrs. Dodd’s reasons for honoring her father still resonate today. Her mother had died in childbirth in the 1890s, leaving her father, Henry Jackson Smart, to raise the newborn and his six other children alone on a rural farm in Washington state. Thinking of her father, Mrs. Dodd wanted the country to thank all dads for what they do for their children.

The world has changed a lot since then. Increasingly, there are all sorts of new definitions of fathers -- uncles, grandfathers, foster fathers, even older brothers. While the country has given rightful and needed attention to the challenges confronted by hard-working single mothers, there are roughly 3.1 million families across the nation headed by single fathers.

Whatever the particular situation, there is no finer contribution a person can make than to raise and love a child. It may not always be easy to be a father. But for me, it’s an honor filled with its own rewards, such as the pride of watching your children grow and eventually become parents of their own. My own son is an excellent father; and I’m proud of him for that.

Unintentionally, fathers often start legacies. As I write this, I think again of Orville Korthaus of Mesa, a World War II veteran, who parachuted into occupied France. He was later captured by the Nazis and held in a rail car for more than a month.

Orville’s son, Steve, would also serve his country -- as a combat soldier in Vietnam. And, in turn, Steve’s son, Bradley, would join the Marines. Bradley, who died this year in Iraq, had wanted to be a Marine since he was 10 years old.

Perhaps, each son was paying his father the greatest of compliments: wanting to grow up to be like him. If so, there’s no finer tribute in life.

This year, I am going to make a special effort to remember my dad. I hope others who feel similarly about their fathers have a chance to do the same.

Happy Father’s Day!

Jon Kyl is a Republican senator from Arizona.