*foot notes

Sunday is Father’s Day.

Often it seems American fathers just can’t get any respect. Maybe it’s the fault of television sitcoms. From Ricky Ricardo and Ralph Cramden to Al Bundy and George Jefferson, fathers have been the butt of countless jokes. But perceptions change, and today fatherhood is almost fashionable.

* Father’s Day dates to 1910. A Spokane, Wash., woman, Sonora Smart Dodd, got the idea while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon. It took more than 40 years (1956) for Father’s Day to be recognized by Congress, and more than 60 years (1972) to become an official holiday.

* AT&T; reports that while Father’s Day traditionally ranks below Mother’s Day for overall holiday long-distance calling volume (about 140 million compared with 160 million calls), Father’s Day ranks No. 1 for collect calls. And in recent years, Father’s Day has edged past Christmas (135 million calls) for second place overall.

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“Most American children suffer too much mother and too little father.”

--Gloria Steinem

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This Sunday, people from across the country will be in Washington for a Father’s Day Celebration/March for Fathers’ Rights. Supporters say they want to spotlight the problems today’s youth face due to “fatherlessness.” They will march down Constitution Avenue and hold a rally on the Capitol steps. For more information, check their Web site: https://www.fathersday2000.org.

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“Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope.”

--Bill Cosby

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For only $13.98, you can enroll your dad in the Fathers Hall of Fame. The Web site https://www.fathershalloffame.com possibly will display a photo too. For $54.98, they’ll throw in a handsome wall plaque that your dad can hang in a special place--the wall behind the television.