Father's Day Blogs 2010
Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger will forever be known as the pilot of the “Miracle on the Hudson” when he courageously and safely landed his malfunctioning airliner on the Hudson River in the summer of 2009. Here, he reveals a different, more personal side about his relatively late start on fatherhood and the all the joys it brought. Pictured: "Sully" with daughters Kate and Kelly.
Howard Slaughter fondly remembers the Saturday morning trips to the local library where his daughter, Karin, would get lost in aisles for hours at a time. That was his first inkling that his daughter was on the path to writing, and years later he offered his blessing when Karin said she was going to pursue writing full time. Howard Slaughter’s intuition served him well as Karin Slaughter is now the author of several bestsellers.
In this touching tribute, legal thriller author Robert Dugoni remembers his father’s final days, and the special moments they shared as father and son, as well as the wisdom his father imparted during his final days. Pictured: Robert Dugoni with his parents, Bill and Patty.
Gar Ryness has become a cult hero to baseball fans with his batting stance pantomime act seen across the nation. His love for sports, and baseball, naturally came from his father, Gary. Here, Gar recounts a whirlwind 48-hour trip to the Midwest to watch some teams that hardly merited the trip. But then again, wins and losses weren’t nearly as important as father-son bonding time. Pictured: Gar and Gary rooting on the Cubs in their younger years.
Michael Perry has pondered life while fixing a jalopy in his memoir TRUCK and running a farm in COOP, both told with equal parts wit, grace and emotion. Here, he finds a balance between stoic father and sensitive dad.
Ben Bradlee and his son, Quinn, spent plenty of time together working outdoors, sharing family stories. One day, they decided that they ought to be writing this all down while explaining the virtues that made them not just father and son, but best friends.
What made you decide to write together?
Ben Bradlee: A chance like this comes along once in a lifetime and I grabbed it!
Jerome Raffel loved to read about his War, which was World War II. For years his son, thriller writer Keith Raffel did not understand this passion. Then he came to realize why these books mattered to his father. And in his own writing --- and reading --- he sees why we love to explore the world we already know a lot about. Pictured below: Jerome Raffel in Rilchingen, Germany in 1945.
Christina Olds’ childhood was atypical, raised on Air Force bases around the world, but it helped create an inseparable bond with her father Robin. As she got older, Christina learned of her father’s storied career as a fighter pilot during World War II and the Vietnam War. Soon, Christina was helping her father pen his memoirs and recounting their lives around the world.
When bestselling author Bruce Feiler was diagnosed with cancer, he worried about his young daughters growing up without a dad. And as he pondered this he realized he needed a council of dads --- six men --- who could be there for his daughters to share his values.
Norman Ollestad recounted his childhood driven by his dad to succeed on skis and in the surf in his bestselling memoir, CRAZY FOR THE STORM. Here he recounts a ski trip with his son, Noah, where they shared moments that shaped their own father-son relationship. Pictured: Norman with his father, Norman Ollestad Sr., in St. Anton, Austria.
