Father's Day, 1998

Proclamation 7106 of June 17, 1998

Father's Day, 1998

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Fathers hold us close and lift us up in so many ways
throughout our lives. Devoted fathers work day in and
day out, not only to help provide their families with
food, clothing, education, and a good home, but also to
give their children the values, guidance,
encouragement, and self-esteem to make the most of
their lives. With careful planning and many quiet
sacrifices, fathers seek to give their children the
freedom to dream and the opportunity to make those
dreams a reality. Across our Nation, at piano recitals
and basketball games, at science fairs and high school
graduations, proud fathers rejoice at the achievements
of their sons and daughters.

In today's complex and changing society, fathers have
taken on new roles and additional responsibilities
within their homes, balancing the varied demands of
work and family. They are nurturers as well as
providers, confidants and best friends as well as
heroes and role models. They teach their children how
to read, how to drive, and how to live. And, like
generations of fathers who came before them, they build
a strong foundation of love that enables their sons and
daughters to stand taller, see farther, and reach
higher. On Father's Day, let us thank the biological
fathers, stepfathers, foster fathers, and adoptive
fathers across America whose love graces their
children's lives and whose character strengthens our
Nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, in accordance with a joint
resolution of the Congress approved April 24, 1972 (36
U.S.C. 142a), do hereby proclaim Sunday, June 21, 1998,
as Father's Day. I invite the States, communities
across the country, and all the citizens of the United
States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies
and activities that demonstrate our deep appreciation
and abiding love for our fathers.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
seventeenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-second.