FATHER'S DAY 2009

On this 100th anniversary of Father's Day, I started thinking about the fathers in my family. When Spencer was born in 2004, there were three generations of fathers alive in our family on the Shannon side. Looking back in our ancestral tree, it may be the only time that this has ever or ever will happen. In my case my great grandfather Nolker lived until I was five, but I don't remember meeting him. My grandfather Shannon died four years before I was born and my grandfather Edwards less than two years after. My great grandfather Nolker (Shannon) actually lived nine years after my grandfather Shannon died (four years before I was born).

There are two reasons that come to mind why the 3 generations of fathers alive at one time did not occur before and won't be repeated. The life span of the past was usually not much past the 50s because heart disease was so prevalent. And now children go to college and on to graduate degrees and start families later which makes the age span of each generation almost 30 years and that makes it impossible to have four generation alive at any time.

So this photo of the four generations and the three generations of dads is pretty radical.