The Beckman Blog

I blogged about Father’s Day last year, so I guess I’ll make it a tradition by doing so again this year.

My best Father’s Day was also my first.  Jonathan was born in the evening hours of June 19, 2004, the day before Father’s Day.  I said then, and have repeated it many times since, that his birth was the best Father’s Day present I could have ever received – especially considering the fact that he was 3-1/2 weeks early and delivered by emergency Caesarean section because of Cassia’s sudden pre-eclampsia.

However, I’ve never really liked the day since then.  (It has nothing to do with our kids, I promise.)  Every time it comes up in the calendar, I try to deflect attention away from it and onto either Jonathan’s birthday or our wedding anniversary.  But this year, darn it, Father’s Day stands far apart from either of those two much more important milestones.  So I guess I’ll just have to grin and bear it.

Alright, so what do our kids think of their daddy?  Let’s go to our correspondent on the ground for more:

Alright, enough of that.  In the spirit of the day and in accordance with my personal proclivities, I’m going to refer you to great fathers elsewhere.

First, there’s a brief piece in Friday’s (06/13) Wall Street Journal by Brad Wilcox at the University of Virginia (no relation to the LDS Brad Wilcox at BYU), where he reports the results of a survey indicating that religious fathers are more likely to stay married to their wives, and more happily so, than nonreligious fathers.  Faith-filled dads are more likely to be faithful dads too, showing more affection to their spouse and children than secularly-centered fathers.  Of course, we all knew that, but it’s heartwarming to see some empirical evidence confirming it.

Second, I was shocked and saddened to learn of the recent death of Tim Russert, NBC News Washington Bureau Chief and moderator of “Meet the Press,” from a heart attack at age 58.  Russert was a true class act both on and off the set, a rare breed of reporter who managed to be a master of politics without becoming overtly politicized himself.  

Russert published two bestselling books late in his career, both about fathers.  “Big Russ & Me” chronicled the influence of his still-living dad upon him, while “Wisdom of Our Fathers” shared excerpts from some of the 60,000 letters he received in response to it.

Off camera and away from the office, Mr. Russert was a mentor to young colleagues, a gregarious man with a rolling laugh and a roster of friends who were in his life for decades, a devoted Roman Catholic proud of his Jesuit education at John Carroll University in Ohio.

Those who were in the presence of him and his son were long struck by the closeness of the relationship. Mr. Russert was known to steal away from work during the day to greet his son upon his return from school, or to surprise him while he was caddying at a golf course in Nantucket, Mass., where the family had a home.