In the hustle and bustle of college life, sometimes students forget to acknowledge some of the very important figures in their lives: their grandparents. To help remedy this conundrum, there is an entire day to remember these loved ones: National Grandparents Day.
Rooted in the work of pioneers Jacob Reingold and Marian McQuade, the creation of the national holiday came after Reingold was inspired by a speech honoring grandparents during a White House Conference on aging in 1961. In that same year, Reingold hosted a similar event at the Hebrew Home, a living center for the elderly in the Bronx, New York, eventually becoming an official holiday in the borough.
A few years later, McQuade started a campaign to establish a day of recognition for grandparents in 1970. Her efforts reached civic, faith, business and political leaders, launching a state-wide campaign for Grandparents Day in her home state of West Virginia. Three years later, the first Grandparents Day for the state was proclaimed by Governor Arch Moore.
Reingold and McQuade’s efforts caught the attention of U.S. Congress, passing legislation in 1978 that established the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. A presidential proclamation was even signed by President Jimmy Carter, beginning the national observation of the holiday.
Flash forward to 2023, and the holiday is now one that could be considered lesser-known. However, many students were eager to share their stories and appreciation for their grandparents, proving that their presence has had a significant impact on their lives.
“I grew up very close to my grandparents on my maternal and paternal sides, and they've been with me through key stages of my life thus far,” Taylor Orcutt, a sophomore studying journalism, said in an email. “I grew up loving their presence, their stories.”
Olivia Ashbaugh, a junior studying middle childhood education, said one of her favorite stories involving her grandparents happened this summer when she was working while her parents were on vacation.
“Recently, my parents went on vacation without me, so they were like, ‘Olivia, please let us feed you every night,’ so I would go over to their house,” Ashbaugh said. “I actually worked like five days a week that week, so my grandma was like, ‘Please come over.’ She went the whole nine yards for this dinner.”
Other students have found joy in the little things with their grandparents in the present and past, such as cooking, going on family vacations and spending holidays together.
Gwen Peters, a junior studying middle childhood education, said making pancakes reminds her of her late grandfather, as he taught her how to make them as a little girl.
“Another one of my favorite memories with both of my grandparents is my grandpa actually taught me how to cook pancakes when I was a little girl,” Peters said. “Now, I love cooking pancakes and it always reminds me of him because that was our tradition. I would sleep over with my sister and then me and my grandpa would make pancakes in the morning.”
Emma Fink, a sophomore studying integrated language arts, said her grandparents – Mimi and Pappy – used to take her and her cousins to downtown Pittsburgh during Christmas time, serving as one of her most beloved memories.
“Some of my favorite memories with my Mimi and Pappy is whenever we were all little my cousins and I – basically up until we probably were like in sixth or seventh grade – Mimi would take all of us into downtown Pittsburgh every year and take us ice skating and to see the tree, and the gingerbread houses downtown and all the Santas,” she said.
Orcutt, being from Athens, said she has enjoyed the memories of getting ice cream and sitting on College Green with her grandparents, as well as spending Christmas mornings with them.
“My favorite memories with my paternal grandparents are definitely the summer breaks when we would get Whit's then explore College Green,” Orcutt said in an email. “My favorite memory with my maternal grandparents is a time when my grandfather and I wore matching ‘A Christmas Story’ bunny onesies on Christmas morning. It was hilarious.”
All of these students also enjoy this holiday because of the support they’ve received from their grandparents, as each of them said they would not be here without them. Whether they’re here physically or spiritually, it’s clear these students’ grandparents have touched them in indescribable ways.
“I looked at my grandparents as my second set of parents throughout my whole life, and I think it's really important to take a step back and appreciate what they did, especially for my childhood,” Peters said. “Without them, I would have had a good childhood, but with them I had an amazing childhood, and I'm so appreciative of them for that.”
Fink said she believes her grandparents have helped her grow as a person, teaching her lessons since the time she was born. They also have shown her how hard work pays off, which has led her to the life she has now.
“I just think it's good to acknowledge them because obviously like none of us would be here without them,” Fink said. “My grandparents, all of them worked so hard to give my parents the life that they gave them and then my parents were then able to give me the life that they gave me so it trickled down.”
Meanwhile, Ashbaugh said she loves her grandparents for their strong presence in her life, especially during her childhood, and Orcutt said she is always honoring her grandparents’ resilience and care for her family after the sacrifices they’ve made for her.
“Whenever my mom was going through treatment they were there 24/7,” Ashbaugh said. “They help out a lot more than you think they do.”
Below, each student also gave a shoutout to their grandparents, wanting to let them know how much they love and appreciate them as Sept. 10 grows closer:
“I want to thank my grandma specifically for going into education because she was in education too,” Ashbaugh said.
“I want to thank my grandma for always supporting me and also giving me the passion of education because she was a teacher,” Peters said. “A big reason why I decided to go into education was because of her.”
“I just want to shout out my grandpa for being one of the funniest people I've ever met,” Fink said. “All we do is make fun of each other, but in a good way. He’s been making fun of me pretty much since I came out of the womb, but he's also the best.”
“My grandparents, at least, directly shaped my life in profound ways,” Orcutt said in an email. “I want to celebrate their resilience and their love for our family.”
All grandparents deserve a little extra love this holiday.
