Honoring Fatherhood: From Renegades to Life Advice and Celebrations.

Sonora Smart Dodd, who lost her mother in childbirth, founded Father's Day in 1910 in Spokane, Washington, to honor her father, William Jackson Smart, who raised her and her siblings alone. Dodd spent 62 years lobbying for the holiday, and it was finally declared a federal holiday in 1972. Dodd was a painter, poet, and businesswoman who ran a funeral home with her husband. Her great-granddaughter, Betsy Roddy, is the last direct descendant of Dodd and is now speaking publicly about her family's legacy.