Hello.  I’m Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and I’d like to wish all dads out there a happy Father’s Day.

Did you know, it was 100 years ago this year that a Spokane woman came up with the idea of celebrating fathers?

Sonora Smart Dodd wanted to honor and recognize her father who fought in the Civil War and raised six kids after his wife died.

I introduced a resolution this year recognizing her and recognizing the important role fathers play in all of our lives.

This Father’s Day, I’d like to give my dad a big thank you for all of the sacrifices he made to help me get where I am today.  I couldn’t have done it without his encouragement and his belief in me.

Growing up on an orchard, Dad taught me the value of a dollar, the value of hard work and why you should be a good steward of the land.  Before you could pick any fruit, he taught my brother and me the importance of nurturing the trees—pruning them, watering them and making sure they are growing properly.

Much as he nurtured our orchard, he nurtured me.

So to my dad, and all the other fathers out there—thank you.  Thank you for serving as role models, for setting positive examples for us. 

And thank you to Sonora Smart Dodd whose idea to recognize fathers is just one more reason we can be proud of Eastern Washington.