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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release June 17, 1998

FATHER'S DAY, 1998

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Fathers hold us close and lift us up in so many ways throughout our lives. Devoted fathers work day in and day out, not only to help provide their families with food, clothing, education, and a good home, but also to give their children the values, guidance, encouragement, and self-esteem to make the most of their lives. With careful planning and many quiet sacrifices, fathers seek to give their children the freedom to dream and the opportunity to make those dreams a reality. Across our Nation, at piano recitals and basketball games, at science fairs and high school graduations, proud fathers rejoice at the achievements of their sons and daughters.

In today's complex and changing society, fathers have taken on new roles and additional responsibilities within their homes, balancing the varied demands of work and family. They are nurturers as well as providers, confidants and best friends as well as heroes and role models. They teach their children how to read, how to drive, and how to live. And, like generations of fathers who came before them, they build a strong foundation of love that enables their sons and daughters to stand taller, see farther, and reach higher. On Father's Day, let us thank the biological fathers, stepfathers, foster fathers, and adoptive fathers across America whose love graces their children's lives and whose character strengthens our Nation.

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 21, 1998, as Father's Day. I invite the States, communities across the country, and all the citizens of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities that demonstrate our deep appreciation and abiding love for our fathers.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of June, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-second.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON

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