Cord Byrd: “this Sunday is Grandparent's Day. Like Mother's Day, this holiday has its origins in the great State of West Virginia.…”

“this Sunday is Grandparent's Day. Like Mother's Day, this holiday has its origins in the great State of West Virginia. In 1956, a lifelong mountaineer and the wife of a coal miner, Mrs. Marian McQuade, was asked to assist in organizing a ``Past 80 Party.'' This group continues today to annually honor and celebrate octogenarians and other seniors in West Virginia. Mrs. McQuade began gathering participants to join in these festivities by contacting nursing homes. She learned of the chronic loneliness that many of the seniors in these homes experienced, and she was deeply saddened. Her heartfelt concern engendered the idea of a special day, a specific day to celebrate grandparents. In May 1973, West Virginia became the first State with a specially designated Grandparent's Day. Five years later, Mrs. McQuade received a phone call from the White House. This call informed her that President Carter had signed a law that designated the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparent's Day.”