Honoring Dads Beyond Father’s Day
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Jun 22, 2009 | by Kevin Loughlin
Russell H. Loughlin, Sr. ~ 1921 – 1999. My dad.
July 1967 — the month I turned 5 years old — we loaded up the family truckster and tent-trailer with food for a month and drove north. I remember swimming in a warm bay in Maine. I remember driving the Cabot Trail along the rocky coast of Nova Scotia. I remember watching the rush of the tide as it crossed the mud flats at the Bay of Fundi. During that trip we also spent a day at Expo ’67. I vaguely remember the monorail there, but the natural wonders I witnessed on the rest of the trip obviously dug deeper trenches in my gray matter!
The following summer when I turned six, we were in the Rockies. I remember having trout for breakfast and later buying cupcakes and a half gallon of ice cream–we had to eat it all since there was no freezer in the tent-trailer! Many more memories from that trip made deep, lasting impressions–from the giant saguaro cactus of Arizona to the amazing geysers of Yellowstone. These experiences shaped my life and helped instill the love of nature within me.
Thanks to my dad (and my mom, too!) my eyes were opened to the many natural wonders of North America. By age 12 I had visited all 48 continental states and many Canadian provinces. We were a typical middle class family–not rich. Mom was a teacher and had summers off. Dad had worked for the same company since before WWII and had lots of vacation time. We were on a tight budget–the 1968 trip around the USA, my father bragged, cost only $500 for food, gas and camping for our family of five!
Dad worked hard, but was not a workaholic. He made sure to spend time with us. Helping with homework, going far hikes and working on projects of all kinds. He was a role model any kid would be proud to claim. He and my mom were married for 53 years before he passed. He served our country during WWII, spending most of the war in the Pacific Theater — Okinawa and Ie Shima.
When my brother became a father, I could see a lot of our dad in him. He raised two wonderful daughters and is now a big part of his new grandsons’ lives. The boys will never personally know their Great Grandfather (he passed away in 1999), but they will know the man he was through the actions of my brother, their grandfather.
With our PA Young Birders Club I see many dads ready and willing to share fun times outdoors with their kids — supporting their kids’ desire to enjoy nature. I praise their efforts! Though I do not have kids of my own, through the PA Young Birders Club I hope to pass along some of what my father generously gave to me.
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I thank your Dad,My Dad, and all the other Dads who have served our country. A very nice tribute to him.
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