To some, Grandparents Day is simply a greeting card holiday, but to the woman who brought it to life, the holiday was deeply meaningful. For those who have worked to get it more attention, and for the families who have realized its significance, it still is.

Marian McQuade, of Fayette County, West Virginia, founded the holiday in hopes that such an observance might persuade grandchildren to tap the wisdom and heritage of their grandparents. McQuade, who poured her heart into establishing the holiday, died on September 26, 2008, at the age of 91, not long after the holiday’s 35th year.

McQuade was a lifelong West Virginian who married her high school sweetheart, Joe, in 1936. The couple had 15 children and, eventually, 43 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. In 1970, Mrs. McQuade initiated a grassroots campaign to set aside a special day for grandparents. Years of working with civic, business, church, and political leaders paid off in 1973 when West Virginia Governor Arch A. Moore proclaimed the state’s first Grandparents Day. But an effort to make it a national holiday took more time after a Grandparents Day resolution introduced in the U.S. Senate languished in committee.

She petitioned governors in the other 49 states to follow West Virginia’s lead. Forty-three of those governors sent proclamations to McQuade, each declaring a holiday in their states. With this momentum, a bill proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1978. The first official observance was September 9, 1979.

McQuade was also a tireless advocate for senior citizen rights dating back to 1956. She was part of an effort to organize a Past 80 Party, celebrating the state’s octogenarians, which became an annual event. She became vice chair of the West Virginia Commission on Aging and was appointed as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging. In 1972, her efforts resulted in President Richard Nixon proclaiming a National Shut-in Day that year, to increase attention “to the thousands of lonely West Virginians” and to encourage people to visit them. She was also active in other organizations.

In 1976, McQuade received a citation as one of 10 West Virginia Women of Accomplishment, and in 1989, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative envelope bearing her likeness for the 10th anniversary of National Grandparents Day. In 1998, new West Virginia state highway signs were erected outside her hometown, announcing Oak Hill, West Virginia, as the “Home of Marian McQuade, Founder of National Grandparents Day.”

Her legacy is carried on by many of her children and grandchildren, some of whom work on the National Grandparents Day Council, the nonprofit corporation that promotes “the original intent of National Grandparents Day as championing the elderly.” The purpose of the holiday is threefold: “to honor grandparents; to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children’s children; and to help children become aware of the strength, information, and guidance older people can offer.”

Grandparents Day falls on September 13 this year. Visit the council’s site for ideas on how children can help celebrate the holiday as well as honor their grandparents year-round.

Census Bureau tips hat to grandparents

In honor of grandparents, the Census Bureau put together a variety of recent data “about these unsung role models and caregivers.” Here are some of the numbers:

• The number of grandparents whose grandchildren younger than 18 lived with them in 2007: 6.2 million.
• The number of grandparents responsible for most of the basic needs (food, shelter, clothing) of one or more of the grandchildren who lived with them in 2007: 2.5 million. Of these caregivers, 1.6 million were grandmothers and 932,000 were grandfathers.
• The number of grandparent-caregivers who were married in 2007: 1.8 million.
• The number of grandparents who were in the labor force and also responsible for most of the basic needs of their grandchildren: 1.5 million.
• The number of grandparents whose income was below the poverty level and who were caring for their grandchildren: 482,000.
• The number of grandparents with a disability who were caring for their grandchildren: 732,000.
• The number of grandparents who spoke a language other than English and who were responsible for caring for their grandchildren: 586,000.
• The number of children living with a grandparent in the household in 2008: 6.6 million. These children comprised 9% of all children in the United States. The majority, 4.4 million, lived in the grandparent’s home.