Sonora Smart Dodd

The idea for Father’s Day originated with a young woman, Sonora Smart Dodd, in her late 20s while sitting in church in Spokane on Mother’s Day in 1909.

Section:Gallery

Sun., June 18, 2017

Sonora Smart Dodd is the founder of Father’s Day.

Courtesy Of Jerry Numbers Sr
William Jackson Smart is the father of Sonora Smart Dodd, the founder of Father’s Day.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Sonora Smart Dodd, founder of Father’s Day. The photo was taken in the mid-1940s but the exact date is unknown. It ran in The Spokesman-Review in June 1943.

Photo Archive Sr
This is the grave of Sonora Smart Dodd, the creator of Father’s Day, which she did in honor of her father, William Smart, a farmer and Civil War veteran. She is buried at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
The monument to Sonora Smart Dodd and the one to her father, William Jackson Smart, are located at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.

Colin Mulvany The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo