For this Father’s Day, my brothers and I did something special for our Father, Lawrence Lawver. Living in the DC area, we’re surrounded by a lot of monuments, museums, and history. One that has always meant a great deal to us is the Smithsonian National Air & Space museum. I have a lot of fond childhood memories from wandering around that museum downtown, looking at all the planes, and hearing all of my Father’s stories about his time in the Air Force when he was a Navigator of the F4 Phantom jet. And, not to mention, all the stories about his Father’s time in the Army Air Corps during World War II.
To celebrate my Father’s dedication to aviation, my brothers and I decided to add our Father’s name to the Wall of Honor at the newest Smithsonian museum, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum. It’s a beautiful location – there’s a long walkway leading up to the museum’s entrance, lined with these brilliant silver panels shaped like air foils. They’re engraved with the names of famous aviators, engineers, pilots, navigators, astronauts, and NASA personnel, each and every one of them contributing to aviation and space exploration in their own way.
Now our Father will be listed among them.
We kept this for a grand surprise. Yesterday we sat him down on the couch and handed him a rather elaborately wrapped present. When he opened it, he found a blindfold, ear plugs, and this poem:
Kevin, Tim, Steve and Heather,
Not to mention your wife,
Have worked all together,
To honor & celebrate your life!
But to show our love for you
On this Father’s Day,
I’m afraid that it is true,
We must spirit you away!
So use these to plug your ears,
And cover up your sight,
But do not succumb to any fears,
For Father’s Day will soon take flight!
We all piled into the car, made Dad put on his blindfold and earplugs, then we drove to the Air & Space Museum. Mom walked him up to one of the silver panels, where I had put up a placard I designed with his name and Air Force call sign, letting him know that his name will soon be engraved there forever.
But before we took off his blindfold, I read him one more poem that I wrote just for him. (Just bear in mind, I wasn’t struck with the idea to write a poem until three o’clock in the morning that same day! And I’m not exactly a poet. So I can’t say the poem is exactly perfect…)
Our Father’s Dream
by Heather Lawver
Your life began with a single dream,
An inspired, unwavering goal;
No matter how hard it may seem,
Your destiny you would control.
Never deviating from your plan,
The expansive future you did ponder,
So that when you became a man,
You could explore the wild blue yonder.
Soon enough your dreams took flight,
And you became a man of merit.
With all your heart, mind, and might,
You forged a legacy that we’ll inherit.
A legacy of strength and dedication,
Of honesty, kindness and duty;
So we may dream without hesitation,
And fill the world with beauty.
Now all these decades later,
Your family has grown.
We know there is no one greater
Than the Father we have known.
Here engraved in steel til the end of days,
The beloved name of our Father dear,
Where the future’s children will sing in praise,
Of your contribution to the final frontier.
We took off the blindfold and ta-da! I think Dad really loved it, especially since he was already tearing up one stanza into the very first poem when he unwrapped the blindfold, hehe. I’m also relieved that we were able to keep it a total secret for the several months that we were planning all of this! My friend Nathan and I even planned a trip to the museum so that I could get pictures of the inscriptions and everything, to see how it would turn out.
After that, we spent the afternoon wandering around the museum and my Dad told stories about his Air Force days to two of his grandkids who came for a visit. It was a great day, all the way around. The Udvar-Hazy museum not only has an F4 Phantom like the one he flew, but he also pointed out that they have one of the fighters that my Grandfather flew! It’s nice to know that a part of my family’s military legacy will forever be at the Smithsonian. One day, I’ll get to take my children there and show them their grandfather and great-grandfather’s contribution to aviation and to our nation.
Happy Father’s Day, Dad!