Friday, May 22, 2015

Memorial Day

This picture was taken on Memorial Day back in 1988 at Soucek’s patio. It includes: Eddy, Don, Dad, Gladys, Mother, Vivian, Elaine and me. Only Don, Gladys, Elaine and I are still with us. It seemed that the Holiday slipped up on this year with it being as early as legal. As a kid, my folks always referred to it as Decoration Day. I did some research and found the following: The preferred name for the holiday gradually changed from "Decoration Day" to "Memorial Day", which was first used in 1882. It did not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967. On June 28, 1968, the Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971. After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all 50 states adopted the Congressional change of date within a few years.

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