On Father’s Day weekend during this 250th anniversary of America, I’ve been thinking about a couple of fatherly founding figures: George Washington, the military general and president who became known as “the Father of Our Nation,” and the pioneer George Washington, remembered today as “the Father of Centralia.”
Both men, coincidentally, left no children of their own.
President George Washington raised his two step-children (daughters of his wife, Martha). His Mount Vernon estate was full of nieces, nephews and step-grandchildren.
Centralia’s George Washington also was a stepfather, stepping up to help raise his wife Mary Jane’s son Stacey Coonness.
After Mary Jane died, George remarried. In his old age, he and his wife Charity had a son — George Cleveland Washington. George was a doting father, but sadly, a few years after George’s death in 1905, the child of his old age died at age 19 from heroic acts during a fire at his boarding school.
Still, while they left no biological progeny, the legacy of both Georges is immeasurable.
Not only did General Washington win independence for his young nation from the greatest power in the world, he presided over the writing of our groundbreaking Constitution. Yet his greatest act was one of submission.
By voluntarily stepping down from leadership of the victorious Continental Army and again years later after two terms as president, he stunned the globe. No major leader — no one — would ever willingly give up power like that.
After winning the Revolutionary War, it was widely assumed that Washington would take over as leader of the new country. Maybe its king. But Washington resigned his commission to return to his home.
When he heard of that unprecedented act, King George III of England said, "If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world."
That’s a legacy of strong, humble leadership that lives on.
When it comes to Centralia’s George Washington, the stories are too numerous to tell. He could show a rare combination of generosity and strict accountability. He helped many men find a path to self-sufficiency and honestly. He gave many families a good, fair start in life. He loved and nurtured his town and its people.
Yet when I think of his remarkable life, the part that brings tears to my eyes is the relationship George had with his own parents.
Tragically, he never got to know his enslaved father. And to save him from the same fate, his mother had to give him away.
Fortunately for George (and the future of Centralia), a wonderful couple took George on and raised him as their own. James and Anna Cochran loved George and gave him a good life. When George decided to cross the continent as a pioneer, his foster parents came with him. They provided key legal protections to keep him safe and enable him to homestead.
When he settled along the Skookumchuck and his foster parents settled into the infirmities of old age, George cared for them gently. One story says that he eventually cared for his foster mother as he would a baby.
When George recounted his life’s story, he was determined to emphasize that he treated his foster parents (“his friends,” he often called them) with the respect and honor they deserved.
“My friends made me promise to stick to them to the end, no matter what that end might be,” George said. “I promised, and I want to tell you right now that I kept my promise.”
Pro tip for dads
To all the fathers out there: in addition to naps, barbecues and other great indulgences, use your Father’s Day weekend privilege to make your kids sit down so you can read the poem “If” to them.
Yes, a poem. Even if you don’t like poems.
The more this poem by Rudyard Kipling can sink into your kids’ brains and souls, the better equipped they’ll be to keep their feet underneath them and their wits about them, whatever the world throws at them.
The poem is geared toward boys, but its lessons are great for daughters, too. Or consider reading them “If, for Girls,” by J.P. McEvoy.
Dudes, seriously. Look up and read these poems, even if you’ve never read a poem in your life, and share them with your kids. It’ll be a Father’s Day blessing for all of you.
Final encouragement
Speaking of poets, William Wordsworth once wrote, “The child is father to the man.”
But that’s not the end of the story. Fatherhood changes a man for the better, if you do it right.
Man to man, to every dad out there, let me tell you that all the hard work of showing up and showing love is worth it. The heavy burdens you carry, the simple joys you create as you swing your kids around or walk beside them as they go through hard times, your deliberate choice to love and honor their mother, is the best work you’ll do in your life.
If a man embraces every part of being a dad — the good, the bad, and the difficult — fatherhood transforms a man into the best version of himself.
Happy Father’s Day, guys. Keep it up. I’m thankful for everyone of you.
Brian Mittge is a community enthusiast who has written for The Chronicle since 2000 as a reporter, editor and columnist. He can be reached at brianmittge@hotmail.com.
