Memories can last a lifetime. From finding an ice cream flavor called Apple Dapple to acting as Big Red Feather in Indian Princesses, I embrace the happy childhood memories I have of my dad. I remember his bright red hair and his love of Frank Sinatra’s music like “Summer Wind.” I remember his vegetable garden that seemed to get a little bigger from year to year much to the chagrin of me, my sister and brother whose job it was to reap the crop. I remember his rising eyebrow whenever he was kidding, or the simple pleasures that seemed to make him happy like a party with friends or a walk with his dog. I remember him helping me with my newspaper route or booing the Yankees as I gazed at the World Series limelight-stealing shortstop in stripes, Bucky Dent.

As we remember the dads in our lives and the joy and rich stories they bring us, we realize that Father’s Day is the perfect time to show them how much we appreciate them and all that they do by giving them a special gift—a gift that will last a lifetime, a gift that will remind them of you each time they take it out of their pockets. Whether you’re looking for a gift for your dad, husband, brother, son or other special father in your life, Blackwood’s commitment to durability and longevity is reflected in the products they sell. What better way to preserve your memories?

Blackwood equals tradition. Years of craftsmanship and tried and true materials go into every wallet Blackwood makes. Its history is evident in the end result. Because Blackwood is about tradition, we thought it would be interesting to look into the history of Father’s Day too.

A peek into the history of Father’s Day

A young woman in Spokane, Wash., was responsible for the first Father's Day celebration in 1910. The daughter of a Civil War veteran and native of Arkansas, Sonora Smart Dodd was one of six children, raised solely by her father. After hearing a Mother’s Day sermon, Dodd realized that there needed to be a day that also honored fathers. She proposed the day fall on June 5, which was her own father’s birthday, but preparations leading up to the new tradition delayed the holiday until the third Sunday in June. But despite her efforts, the idea never came to fruition.

But Dodd never gave up. In the 1930s the college grad returned to Spokane and started promoting the celebration, expanding awareness to the national level. Helping her along the way that time were trade groups that would benefit most from the holiday like the manufacturers of ties, tobacco pipes, and any traditional present to fathers. By 1938 she also garnered the support of the Father's Day Council, founded by the New York Associated Men's Wear Retailers to consolidate and systematize the commercial promotion. But American cynicism prevailed, and the holiday didn’t take hold until 1966 when President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers. He designated the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972.