Celebrating our dads.

First of all, happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there in Howdygramland. We hope you have a terrific day no matter how you choose to celebrate ... whether you’re shlepping somewhere to a brunch, watching the U.S. Open on TV or just pulling weeds in the back yard. Sam and I are a little at loose ends on Father’s Day because both of us are dad-less now. Sam’s dad (Ben) passed away only one year ago; mine (Herb) died in 2002.

It’s interesting how your memories evolve after you lose a parent. In the eight years since my father died I’ve started remembering a lot of very small incidents, like playing Peter Pan when I was four years old and dad would “fly me to bed”. We also danced to Rosemary Clooney records and watched Cubs games on TV, the latter because I mostly loved the commercials (my favorite was the Hamm’s bear) and Ernie Banks.

Dad was a great teacher. He taught me to recognize (and name) every automobile logo by the time I was three so I’d identify all the parked cars whenever we walked around the block. I guess everybody thought I was a baby genius, shrieking “STUDEBAKER!” from my stroller, but I know I made dad proud. He also taught me to order fried rice with a Chinese accent when I was two, turning me into a runaway sensation at the Golden Pheasant restaurant. (If you ever wonder where I got my strange sense of humor, now you know.)

So Happy Father’s Day. Go make some memories!