Do You Know that Today, September 13th, is National Grandparents Day ?
If you did not have it on your calendar, you are not alone. It is one of the quieter holidays, but it has a wonderful history, and one that means a lot to me at 91. I am not only a grand father of six accomplished adults, but also a great grand father of Graham and Beau.
It started in West Virginia
The holiday was the idea of Marian McQuade. Marian was born Marian Lucille Herndon in 1917 in Caperton, West Virginia. Like Mother's Day founder Anna Jarvis, she was also a native West Virginian.
In 1956 she organized an event honoring octogenarians in the state, and later spent years serving on the West Virginia Commission on Aging and helping with the annual "Past 80 Party" in Richwood.
Her purpose was very simple. After her youngest of 15 children finished high school, she focused on helping the elderly and she wanted nursing care patients to have a special time to connect with their families.
From a state day to a national day
In 1970, Marian began a campaign to establish a day to honor grandparents. In 1973, West Virginia became the first state to proclaim it, when Governor Arch Moore proclaimed May 27, 1973 as Grandparents Day.
She continued, with volunteers from her church, to push other states.
Then in September 1978, the White House called her to tell her that President Jimmy Carter had signed a federal proclamation designating the Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day beginning in 1979. It has been celebrated every year since in honor of our nation's grandparents.
What she wanted it to be
What I admire most about Marian is what she insisted the day not be.
Throughout her campaigning, she remained adamant that the day be focused on homemade gifts and family time, rather than commercialism; at one point, she turned down royalties from a company selling Grandparents Day cards.
The official statute lists three purposes: to honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their grandchildren, and to help children become aware of the strength, information and guidance older people can offer.
In 1989, the Postal Service even issued a 10th anniversary commemorative envelope bearing her likeness. Marian lived to 91, with 15 children and 43 grandchildren.
Why it matters now
I have been thinking about this today. We have Mother's Day and Father's Day, but Grandparents Day reminds us of something different. It is not only about honoring age. It is about honoring continuity. The stories, the recipes, the wartime memories, the family names, the advice that only comes after you have lived long enough to make mistakes and learn from them.
At my age, I think about my grandchildren and great-grandchildren a lot. I want them to know where they came from, not just to keep the family tree alive, but to understand that they are part of a longer story.
So today is a good day to make a phone call, to write a short note, or to invite a grandparent to share a meal. A homemade card, just as Marian wanted.
Happy Grandparents Day to all the grandparents reading this, and to those who are remembering theirs. Have a sunny and beautiful early Autumn Day in the Northern Hemisphere!
Related Topic:
https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2026/07/accomplishments-of-my-six-grand-children.html
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