FATHER OF THE YEAR
Clinton Says Chelsea Makes Him
The Happiest
Man In The World
STORY BY TIM BOXER
PHOTOS BY JULIE STAPEN
HELSEA CLINTON
was a surprise guest at the 72nd annual Father of the
Year Awards in June at the Grand Hyatt in New York. She came
bounding on stage to present the award to her father, President
Bill Clinton.
"When I was four I asked what
he did for a living," Chelsea said. "Next day in school I said my
farther is president of McDonald’s. That didn’t go over so well with
my teachers. They called my parents who admonished me to always tell
the truth. When I said he’s president of the United States, my
popularity among my friends plummeted."
Clinton said that he had told
his daughter, "As long as you are in the house, being president is
the second most important job in my life."
Clinton, who lives in
Chappaqua, N.Y., with his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton and
daughter, added, "In the poorest countries there are happy people.
What makes them happy is when they have a coherent family life,
enjoying the basic wonders of childhood. Seeing my daughter still
makes me the happiest man in the world."
The second Father of the Year
honoree was Terry J. Lundgren, chairman, president and CEO of
Macy’s Inc. A native of Long Beach, Calif., he lives in New York
City with his wife Tina and two daughters.
Mark Shriver, senior vice
president of strategic initiatives at Save the Children, paid
tribute to Major Jackson Drumgoole II as the 2013 All-Star
Dad.
An army intelligence officer
who assisted Iraq’s ministry of interior, Drumgoole served four
tours in Iraq. He lives in Dupont, Washington, with his wife
ShDonna and five children.
The Father’s Day Council was
established in 1931 by businessmen and civic leaders. In 1942 the
council formed the National Father’s Day Committee to confer Father
of the Year honors. It wasn’t until 1971 that Congress declared
Father’s Day a national holiday—and that’s how Clinton, Lundgren and
Drumgoole came to be the latest dads to be celebrated.
