Happy Father's Day

Show me a great woman and I will show you the enlightened father, and men, in her life who helped empower her and support her success.  For me it is my father, my brother, and my husband.  Men matter so much to us so on the occasion of Fathers Day I would like to give a shout out to my father the amazing husband to my mom, a wonderful dad, and an all around good person.  For those of you who do not know my dad let me tell you a little about him.
   He was born in Oakland, California on July 12, 1943. He graduated from Santa Rosa High School in 1961 and attended UC Berkley, graduated with a degree in Anthropology in 1965.  He was a member of Kappa Delta Rho during the Free Speech movement days.  His first job was with a food brokerage firm in San Fransisco while going to San Jose State University earning his MBA in 1967.  After graduating he worked for Xerox in San Fransisco. After receiving a draft notice he opted to go to officer candidate school after which he became second lieutenant.  He then completed airborne training and was assigned to special forces, Green Berets.  He served in Vietnam in 1969 as a rifle platoon leader in the Central Highlands and later headed a mobile advisory team.  He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart and ended his service as first Lieutenant.
   When he returned he moved to Los Angeles and started working for Union Bank of California where he would spend the next 34 years.  He started as management Trainee and worked his way up to senior VP and manager of the financial institution division in the late 90's where he remained until retirement in 2004.  He was then recruited by Bank of the West as Senior VP to organize and expand a Financial Institutions division. He left BOW in  2007 and formally retired.
   My dad is also involved in many other organizations. He served on the correspondent bankers committee of both CA and the ABA Associations, he is a past member of the board of Los Angeles Headquarters Association, and currently serves as a chair of the Los Angeles Downtown Breakfast Club, and is a member on the board of governors of the Southern California Wine and Food Society.  He has been involved with The Jonathan Club for years.  He has chaired the Member Relations Committee and has served on the Audit and Finance committee, the Town Committee and the nominating committee for the board.  He was elected to the board of Directors on 2001 and served as treasurer, First VP and chairman of the Book Oversight Task Force. He is the chair of the Resident Art Committee, serves on the Board of the Jonathan Art Foundation and is a member of the membership committee, the breakfast club and the gourmet society.  He received the Jonathan Trumbull Society Honor in the Jonathan Club in 2010.
  I am beyond impressed with everything my father has done out side his family  but I am even more impressed with the man he is when he is with us.  He is a loyal, dedicated husband and father.  He has shown me how a man should treat a woman and his family and I am honored to call him dad.  There are so many things that I will share with my dad, our early mornings before work when I was little, all the father daughter dances at the club, Indian princesses, our sushi night together which will be reinstated the second I am home. This blog would go on for days if I listed them all so I will stop here and end with the fact that I am so proud of you and love you so much.  Happy Fathers Day!