Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday. He is turning 62 today.

Let me tell you a little bit about my dad. William Boyd Clark (or Bill, as most people know him) was born in 1943 on the West Side of Chicago, the fifth of nine children, and the last to marry, oddly enough. He was almost eleven months old on D-Day, and two years old the last time the Cubs won the pennant. His mom, Clara, was a second generation German-American (her parents, Herman and Augusta Schliebe, came over at the turn of the 20th century and settled in South Dakota). His dad, Hillery, was of Irish and English heritage.

He got drafted into the Army in 1965, and served as a parts specialist until 1967 (yes, he spent some time in Vietnam). After he got out, he got a job at Howell Tractor, and has worked their ever since, with the exception of a brief time off in Oregon between 1989 and 1991 (I'll explain that to you another time).

He married my mom, Patricia, on October 17, 1981. He was 38, and my mom was almost 24 (her birthday was nine days later). He had to have an operation in order for me and my little sister, Roberta, to be here. He had it, and was an overjoyed father when I was born on October 12, 1984, and my sister Christmas Day of 1987.

He is really old-fashioned, which drives me crazy at times. He also is the one who nearly hit the roof when I told him I was going to enlist, but was also the first one to greet me with a coat when I came home for good after finishing my training. He was also the one who, when I returned home late, spent most of the night searching for me, and then going to the police station to see if I had gotten into a crash and wasn't able to call them.

I found out an alarming statistic the other day. Less than half of all kids today live in a household where the father is present. In a lot of ways, I am lucky to have him.

Above is a picture of me with him that was taken sometime during the summer of 1985. Nothing big, just a picture of a daddy and his little girl on a summer day.

So, again, happy birthday Dad. I love you.