On July 5, 1908, in a West Virginia church, the congregation commemorated the lives of more than 350 men who had died in a coal mine explosion the previous December. The majority of them were married family men with children. The ceremony was originally planned to be a one-time gathering.

In Washington the following year, after attending a church sermon celebrating mothers, Sonora Smart Dodd, daughter of Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, felt that fathers should receive their moment in the spotlight as well. She began creating the outline for the first American Father’s Day celebration and approached members of her Spokane ministry with her proposal. Dodd’s efforts would be successful, and the first American Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington. Since then, it has become tradition to celebrate fathers on the third Sunday of June each year.

On June 13 of this year, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community continued the tradition by hosting the annual Father’s Day Luncheon in the Community Building beginning at 10 a.m.

As SRPMIC senior fathers entered the building, they were greeted with balloons and decorations celebrating fatherhood and all of the benefits they bring to families. The gathering also featured a photo booth from the SRPMIC Senior Services department for fathers to take photos with their children and other loved ones.

Before lunch was served, all of the fathers were given a blessing asking that they continue to be able to raise their families and to remain positive examples in the Community. The blessing was also provided to mothers and other family members in the Community who perform double duty raising their children and loved ones.

This year’s Father’s Day luncheon in the SRPMIC continued the tradition, now lasting for longer than a century, of honoring fathers and their positive impact on our lives.