[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 24 (Monday, June 16, 1997)]
[Pages 860-861]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7010--Father's Day, 1997

June 12, 1997

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Raising a child is a sacred mission, and the man who welcomes this 
mission and embraces the obligations of fatherhood is someone who truly 
deserves our recognition and gratitude. On Father's Day, we honor all 
the men across our country who have affirmed the importance of 
parenthood by willingly assuming its important responsibilities.
    The tight grasp of a newborn baby's tiny hand curled around his or 
her father's finger only hints at the strength of the bond that will 
grow in all the seasons of life between father and child. Caring fathers 
are not content to merely safeguard their children's physical well-
being, but also seek to foster their spiritual and moral growth, and 
pass on their most cherished values. Mentor, teacher, coach, friend, and 
hero, a father gives his son or daughter all that his mind, his hands, 
and his heart can provide. No work is too hard, no sacrifice is too 
great if doing so will strengthen, protect, nurture, and instill joy in 
his child.
    Fathers teach their children to take pride in themselves and their 
work, to assume responsibility for their lives and character, and to 
understand the rewards of sharing with others. Most important, fathers--
whether biological, adoptive, or foster--offer the strong, steady 
current of love that sustains their sons and daughters through the good 
times and bad times that all of us face.
    Our Nation is blessed that so many Americans cherish the role of 
fatherhood in our families, for fathers add a crucial stability and 
strength to our lives. On Father's Day, let us honor and give thanks to 
these men who share with their children not only the precious gifts of 
life and love, but also their time, attention, and the kind of caring 
concern that lasts a lifetime.

[[Page 861]]

    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 15, 1997, as Father's Day. I invite the States, communities, and 
citizens of the United States to observe this day with appropriate 
ceremonies and activities that demonstrate our deep respect and abiding 
affection for our fathers.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day of 
June, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and of 
the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
twenty-first.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., June 16, 
1997]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register on 
June 17.