She described the sacrifices her father made in raising two daughters. She and her sister, Alexa, suffered terribly from an abusive mother in a poverty stricken home. After the inevitable divorce, her father Andrew took custody and raised his daughters with love and compassion.

His second wife Luz gave him a daughter, Brittany. Andrew worked nights so he could be home during the day to raise the three girls while his new wife worked. He cooked, shopped, helped with homework, and made sure to always be there for his children and wife.

Stephanie, 25, just graduated from St. John’s University law school and is studying for the bar. "I couldn’t have done it without the help of my father," she wrote.

Her essay resulted in her father being named All-Star Dad at the 69^th Father of the Year Awards luncheon at the New York Sheraton. It was also the 100^th anniversary of Father’s Day.

Jane Hanson, co-host of LX New York on NBC, served as emcee of the program which honored five men as Father of the Year. Each man had advice on raising your kids.

Capt. Scott Smiley, a Ranger and combat-diver qualified infantryman, U.S. Army. What he tries to instill in his two boys, he said, is love, respect and patience, which he learned from his own father.

Five years ago Scotty lost the use of both eyes when a suicide car bomber blew himself up in front of Scotty’s Stryker vehicle. Being blind did not hold him back from surfing in Hawaii, skiing in Vail, skydiving, and earning an MBA at Duke. He is the Army’s first blind company commander.

Army Times named him Soldier of the Year. In a video message Gen. David Petraeus, head of the United States Central Command, said he never wanted to be soldier of the year "but I absolutely wanted to be dad of the year." He hailed Scotty’s perseverance as "nothing short of heroic."

Francis "Ken" Duane, vice chairman of wholesale apparel at Phillips-Van Heusen, couldn’t find a manual on raising children, but he succeeded in raising four children with his wife Jincie in New Canaan, Conn. "There is no love like a father for his children," he said. "It is unconditional."

His mom, 90 years old, came to the luncheon to cheer her son. "I can’t stay too long," she said." I have to get back to American Idol."

David Gregory, moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press, said he’s given up the notion that his kids think he’s cool. What he’d like to hear from his children are: "My dad understands me, and really listens to me."

Michael Fascitelli, president/CEO of Vornado Realty Trust, has three sons and finds that nothing he does seems to be right. "You just need patience," he said.

When Jorge Rafael de Posada, catcher for the world champion New York Yankees, came up to accept his award, Jane Hanson complimented on looking good out of uniform. "You look good in a suit too," he countered.