Fatherhood Hall of Fame

Induction into the Fatherhood Hall of Fame is reserved for those fathers who have gone above and beyond in their commitment to raising their children. The only person who can truly determine if a father is worth induction into this esteemed club is his child. Therefore, we automatically accept for induction those fathers who are nominated by their children.

Select men are also chosen by a committee to be honored and inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Hall of Fame Induction Dinner, held in the fall. These men are chosen because they have given so much of themselves over the years, not only to their families, but also to the communities in which they live. They understand that being a “responsible” and “involved” father is far more than just being a good dad to your kids. It also means serving your neighbors and your community, and it means being a role model that other kids who do not have a positive male figure in their life can look up to.

To induct your father into the Fatherhood Hall of Fame, please complete the following application, and return it with a check in the amount of the corresponding level of induction.

Doug Grishaber

Gerald Ball   Mars Hill, NC

Evan Bayh

Tony Dungy

Anthony Wallace

Father of the Month

Ronald H. Jaeger
nominated by his daughter Kimberly Jaeger

Remembering the things that make my Dad, well, my Dad always leaves me a little dreamy. From the earliest memories, I recall those sleepy possum nights when he wouldn’t hesitate to carry me up the stairs and tuck me in. As the years progressed, his fatherly support began to manifest in more subtle ways. He made us laugh by putting empty buckets on his head, taught us big words to use for school, and made it known, by means of a friendly rumble, that the worst thing to do in life was to untie Daddy’s shoes.

Now that my siblings and I are older, we are able to walk with our Dad instead of taking two steps for his one. This past year our family went through some hard times emotionally. We all came out a little scratched up, but better for the experience. I learned that despite his front of strength and knowledge, my father also has an intimate and familiar connection with each and every one of us. Not only that, he also has a desire to make connections with others. He volunteers on a regular basis with IRIS, a radio station funded by PBS that reads media to the blind.

Recently my parents spent a weekend away at a seminar covering child/parent relationships. Soon after their return, I found myself opening that old hollow door behind which my Mom and Dad were standing and waiting. With a twinkle in his eye and his arms rising, Dad walked up to me, embraced me, and quietly said, “I love you.” It wasn’t until that moment that I realized that I had never before heard those words. Now, I always knew that he loved me, but it strangely blew my mind to listen to those few simple words.

I love and respect my Dad. His courage to overcome that guarded hush that so many fathers share makes my world glow. When I have a family of my own, intimacy and affirmation will be the keystone. Thank you, Dad, for setting an honorable example that I want to follow. So with a bucket on my head and my shoes untied, I nominate my father, Ronald H. Jaeger, to be Father of the Month for his courage, his voice, his strength, his knowledge, and his love for his family.

Father of the Month

Jason Larrison
nominated by his wife, Daniele Roth-Larrison

Being an involved father to an infant can sometimes be defined by whether one of the parents stays home or whether both parents work outside the home. In our world, I stay home and take care of Jake. I deal with the vomiting, the fit throwing, and the turbulent feedings. When Jason comes home from work, Jake's demeanor changes immediately. It becomes super happy fun play time. I love it, and I think it's great that Jake thinks his playful daddy is so wonderful. But Jason doesn't reserve participation for just the fun times. Recently, Jake had a double ear infection. He ran a fever for several days, and nothing made him happy. Since I stay home and can nap when Jake naps, I reluctantly expected to have to do all of the "up all night with a cranky baby" duty since Jason needed his sleep for work. However, Jason went into "Super Dad" mode and spent the night in the recliner with the little crank meister. This allowed Jake to sleep and mommy to get some much needed sleep, too. I really apprec iate my husband taking one for the team and being there to help his family.

Father of the Month

Dr. Michael M. Stanisic
nominated by his daughter, our own, Lauren Stanisic

Growing up, one of my most difficult realizations was that adults are not perfect. It is easy as a child to assume that the all-knowing parents of your world have life figured out; they certainly seemed to have the answers to all of my questions. My parents were my ambassadors to the world: they took my sisters and I on family vacations, they came to my soccer games, helped with my homework, and took us to church... However, as I began to establish my own identity and intelligence, it quickly became no secret that my parent’s marriage was not perfect and, at times, their relationship was downright unhappy.

I am sure that you have already put the pieces together. Like many, my parents stretched out their marriage for the sake of their three daughters. I suppose that no amount of exposure can prepare a child for the actual separation of his or her parents, even though I had for many years of dealt with the dissolution of their marriage. I was not angry, my freshman year of college, when I received the fateful phone call informing me of my parents’ decision to divorce. Instead, I felt sorry for my parents-sorry that they had to officially expose to their children that they were neither omnipotent nor flawless.

Divorce is obviously a difficult process for all involved parties, but I think that it was especially trying for Dad as he was required to promptly move out of our childhood home into a place of his own. This circumstance rendered him somewhat isolated from the family, and he quickly became an eager dinner host, accompanier to shows, and begged for us to spend weekends at his place (there were no legal mandates requiring such). The divorce rendered Dad just as vulnerable as it did my sisters and I, if not much more. I found that my father was in dire need his children’s overt love and support, the same love and support that he had always provided for us.

The years subsequent to the divorce have provided Dad the opportunity to grow his relationship with his children as well as with himself. Now, as mutual adults, my father and I have established a relationship of understanding and respect. I appreciate that Dad does not attempt to stand over me as an all-knowing authoritarian because, as I learned with some difficulty early on, nobody has everything figured out. Rather, he approaches me as a peer and companion down the path of trying, sometimes failing, but always growing.

I nominate my Dad today not because he is perfect and he has all the answers, but because he is honestly human, he is still learning, and he has always been there for me.

Father of the Month

Rich Hillman
nominated by his step-son, Bryan Pohl

It sounds funny to say, but I first met my father when I was eight years old. That was the point at which my mother had found the man of her dreams, one who enjoyed his time with me as much as he did with her. Rich Hillman proved to be everything one could ever expect in a father, let alone a step-father.

While my real father was a good enough guy – he sent checks when I needed shoes, called once per month, and sent the occasional birthday card – he made me realize that the true value of a father is not measured by the things he bought or the money he sent. A father’s time is much more valuable to his children, and Rich provided me with just that.

It was never unusual for Rich and I to be out in the back yard flying $2.00 wooden planes, throwing a Frisbee, or laughing hysterically at his attempts (in vain) to slide a street hockey puck past me into the net. At the time, I didn’t realize how much these times meant to me, at least not on a deeper level than how much fun I had. However, looking back on those times, I can see how much his time with me changed my life. In watching him act like a 50 year old kid, I also grew a deep respect for Rich. Perhaps the most impressive thing about him was the fact that he never had to be such a great father. If he had simply been nice to me and taken me to a few ball games, that would have sufficed, as measured by any traditional indicator of what a father should be.

As I grew into my teenage years, I was like any other kid of that age – experimenting with different substances, doing stupid things, and just being a jerk in general. I think this was the part of parenting for which Rich felt woefully unprepared, because I can remember one time specifically, seeing the hurt in his eyes when I had done something really obnoxious. To say the least, no amount of punishment could have been worse than hurting so badly the man whom I respected so much. It was at that point, I apologized and we began to talk about all the things that made being a teenager so difficult. To my surprise, he knew exactly what I was talking about and could relate to how I felt. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from my chest, as I was finally able to talk to someone who understood. Truthfully, he was the only person in whom I would have ever confided about that kind of stuff.

Sadly, Rich passed away on March 19th of 1999, when I was 19. He fought a short battle with lung cancer and lost. The hurt and pain I felt (and still feel today) was indescribable, as I watched the only man who had ever taken the time to be a father in my life be diagnosed in January and pass by March. I don’t know that any amount of time would have prepared me for what happened, but two months to say goodbye to such an amazing person is just not enough, especially when you are desperately trying to hold on to hope for him to live.

Three days before he passed, I came to his hospital room at night after work. I had never told him that I loved him or how much I appreciated everything he had done for me. I guess I always figured that it was just understood. As I told him that night, I began to realize that nothing I could say would do justice to how much he had done for me, but I told him anyway. Tears came to his eyes (I had never seen that before), and he told me how proud he was of the young man that I had become (even though, at 19, I still had a long ways to go before I would be proud of who I was). I stopped the conversation abruptly, since I wanted him to keep up hope and hang on to life. We talked for a few more hours that night until he fell asleep. It was the last time I would ever see my father the way I knew him, before the doctors started giving him the serious drugs that made him drift in and out of “consciousness”. I could barely drive home that night. The tears in my eyes and the anguish I felt inside culminated in a complete breakdown on my part as I made the 45 minute commute home from the hospital. Thee days later, my father passed away.

I’ve never told anyone about that night, and it feels somewhat strange to write it down on paper for many people to read; however, I hope that this story can teach others as much as it has taught me. The value of a father is not in the things he buys for his kids or the house he provides; it’s in the time he spends with them, the games they play, and the example he sets. I don’t really remember anything Rich ever bought me, but 20 years from when I first met him, I can still close my eyes and remember every detail of sitting outside in our front yard by the fire and listening to hockey games on the radio. I may never be able to properly thank him for everything he did for me, but I can hope to one day be such an amazing father to my own children.

Father of the Month

Ronald Jezuit
nominated by his daughter, our own, Kristin Jezuit

When I moved down to Indianapolis to finish school I cried. The reason? I missed my dad. I was 22 years old and homesick. I enjoyed seeing my dad everyday and I didn't know what to do without having that. In fact, with the exceptions of some hospital stays and some vacations with friends, up until I moved down to Indianapolis I did see him everyday.

My earliest memory involves my dad. He was the one that usually got me dressed and ready for school. On one particular day which involved, waking up, watching the old Disney cartoons and eating my Flinstones Vitamins (which I hated, but had to eat them) during the getting dressed process, there were no matching shoes. How did he solve this? He made me put on two mismatched shoes and sent me to pre-school anyways because "it was that important". I was embarrassed, but education was the priority for his children to him, (even pre-school) and I will get to that more later.

His fondest memory of me is teaching me how to act miserable at an early age (something I have now mastered). He would take me to the grocery store at around three years old and in the checkout line with all the other women shoppers around ask me if my mom loved me, to which I would say "Noooo" then my father "Nooooo" then if anybody loved me, "Noooooooo!" as pathetic as a three year old can get. This would get the women shoppers to say "Oh, I love you!" In retrospect, I think he was using me to his own advantage, but at least I learned some good tricks to use in later life.

Growing up, my father was the one that would take me to school, get me dressed and do my hair in the morning. Needless to say, I wasn't the most "primped" girl in comparison to the other girls who had the mom advantage. He would glue on my girl scout patches, because he didn't know how to sew, and would always show up at my science fairs as proud as can be. I would sometimes be jealous of my friends whose mom's took them shopping for the first day of school instead of my dad who would insist on going to the cheapest store possible and head straight to the clearance rack. In retrospect however, he did alot for me. My mother was around and he allowed her to work, and since he runs his own business he was a stay at home dad. I can't express how much looking back, despite the tinges of jealousy when I looked a little ratty at school compared to the other girls,he raised his first daughter the best way he could.

Back to the education. My father was always pro-active in my education. I struggled in math, so he went out and bought flash cards and was impressed when I got all of the answers correct, as soon as he held up the card. He soon realized that I could see through the card, and blacked out the answers. When I got accepted in the Honor Society while attending IUPUI, my dad drove down to Indy to see my induction ceremony and when I graduated from college, he stood right there, as proud as could be (in everyone elses way) taking pictures of me when I walked off the stage.

I tear up when I write this because as much as I love my father, I never have expressed it on paper. He is my inspiration to be a self-confident and self-supportive person. I still get sad from time to time that I can't see him on a daily basis, but its not all that bad. Instead I call him everyday and always will.

Father of the Month

Michael Wiles
nominated by his son, Noah Wiles

Growing up the youngest, with two older sisters, I always found my dad to be my only ally at times in a house full of women. He would protect me when my sisters found it funny to attempt to do my makeup or attempt to adopt me as their illegitimate love child of Madonna and Axl Rose while playing house. Saving a 7 year old boy from the torment of his older sister's lip gloss collection made him a superhero in my eyes. Although the genders weren't balanced in our family, my fathers method of raising his children always were. Whether it was myself asking him the best possible way to burn an ant using a magnifying glass, or my sisters asking for advice on how to , my father never gave a biased answer and always gave his honest opinion.

My father worked, and to this day still works hard. Now that I am an adult, and work long shifts comparable to his, I don't know how he had the energy to put up with us kids. Even after a long day, when most people just want time to relax, my father took of the work hat and put on the dad hat. He was always happy to see us when we waited at the door for him with a barrage of stories and questions (or so he pretended to be) and never told us he was too tired to help us with our homework or give us advice on how to handle that mean kid on the playground at school.

Although all of us children are now grown and out of the house, my father is still there to provide support and help the same way he did when we were children. He also now is an ally to his grandson, who looks at him with the same admiration that I did growing up. Looking back, my father was my first superhero and still is to this day. Who needs Superman, I've already got my "Superdad".

Father of the Month

Paul Fallon
nominated by his daughter, Nora Fallon

While watching drug prevention public service announcements, it has occurred to me more than once that my dad could write and star in these ads. He's very accessible, and was not afraid to discipline, question or scold us. He always put food on the table and worked to help with homework and attend soccer games. To any observant script writer, he did everything as a good father should.

However, my daddy is far more special than the most inventive patriarch created for the most touching made-for-television movie. Before volunteering to coach our third grade soccer team, he asked for my permission because he was certain to embarrass me at some point. He drove me to 5 a.m. swim practice everyday for two years. He taught me to ride a bicycle, grounded me harshly when necessary, read to me at night, and only brought gifts in fours to be fair to all his kids while reminding us that life isn't fair.

Yet, I am hesitant to list examples or events where he proved his care, because it is its constant presence that is overwhelmingly apparent; the every day routine he has adopted to best serve his family is the remarkable. My dad voices his disappointment when i come home and fail to give him a kiss goodnight, even though he was already asleep. My dad approaches discussions about my shortcomings or failures with an amount of irritating fanfare, because he wants me to understand that we all have faults, and must recognize and learn to work within their realm. (I can almost recite from memory his self-deprecating list that precedes the lecture, which is invariably longer and more acute than the concerns he harbors for me.) He took a genuine interest recently when visiting my dead-end job at a corporate food chain in the non-existent complexities of taking orders and making coffee. He doesn't like coffee, he just likes me. When I was out of town for a summer, my friends felt comfortable enough to call my parents and they played cards together in my absence. We strongly differ about politics, but he unfailingly entertains my viewpoints, respecting me enough to honestly disagree and openly argue with me. He refuses to hang the threat of disappointing him over my head when I make decisions, but will offer unsolicited advice if he is unsure of my convictions.

As a twenty-two year old woman, I am uncertain that I want to have children. In the back of my mind, though, I know I would have a front row seat watching the world's best grandpa, and my daddy could outperform the most well-trained actor with his imperfect, unstudied warmth. To celebrate one action or memory or good influence about my dad would be undermining the potential of fatherhood itself.

Father of the Month

Edward McGruder
nominated by his wife, Patricia McGruder

I would like to nominate my husband and father of our two children, Edward D. McGruder, as the Father of the Month.

What makes Edward a great dad? It's his tremendous smile, his gentle touches, his warm hugs, and his stern disposition. Edward truly enjoys being a father. He loves spending time with his family and takes the responsibility of head of the household very serious.

Edward does lots of innovative things with the kids that including reading, exploring the internet, playing soccer and football, and competing on video games. He enjoys sitting and talking with the boys about all types of subjects. He has a science background and enjoys doing science projects with the boys. He encourages the boys to explore different subjects like astronomy.

Most importantly, Edward is determined to raise Christian boys. He teaches them to pray, care for others, and respect all. Edward does all of this through hands-on interaction with the boys and by being an excellent role model.

Edward's living motto is, "God first, then wife and family; and everything else will fall in place." He believes a good book for fathers is Steve Farrar's Anchor Man - How a Father Can Anchor His Family in Christ for the Next 100 Years.

Father of the Month

Jearl Dixon
nominated by Chris Maples

The very first Dads Inc. Father of the Month Award has been given to Jearl Dixon, the step-father of the organization's founder & president, Christopher Maples. This is what Chris had to say:

Jearl came into my life the summer before my senior year of high school. I didn't quite know what to make of him at first, (as is the reaction of most people) with his crazy hair and caustic jokes. But it became quickly apparent that he was enamored with my mom, just as she was with him. Being an only child & son of a single mother, I grown somewhat protective of my mom. All I told him was that he better not hurt her. And he didn't - but he did make her better.

Pops, as I now affectionately call him, stepped into a tough situation. For all intents and purposes, I was a grown man, and used to being the "man of the house." But instead of challenging me, he respected me for who I was. Because of that, I was more than willing to hand the title over to him, knowing there would be a good man and partner for my mom while I was preparing to head off for college.

Not that our relationship was always wine and roses. Whenever I got "too big for my britches," Pops would always call my bluff, and keep me in line - and he was one of the few people who had ever done that to this over-confident, hard-headed, self-centered know-it-all. And for that, I respected him more than he'll ever know.

He saw me through some of my toughest years - those in which I was really trying to find myself. He was always there for me when I needed him, and he was still there even when I was able to stand alone. Now he's seeing me through some of my best years, with my marriage, my career, and now, my own little son.

The man stepped into a tough situation, and he took on a role that he never had to do - he raised another man's son. I wouldn't be the man I am without him. That deserves so much more than a mention as Father of the Month, but this is just one of the ways I can thank him for it.

Father of the Month

Mark Griffin
nominated by his wife Jill L. Griffin

Mark and I welcomed Elijah into the world on October 9, 2007. Mark is a natural Father and has been a wonderful partner as he participates in everything from diaper changing to hugs and kisses - the latter of which he shares with Mommy, too!

I was anxious about returning to work and Mark has been incredibly supportive by sacrificing his sleep for mine by responding to Eli's cries, so that I can have the extra rest. He also cares for our son when his schedule allows and mine does not and is a regular Mr. Mom around the house. Most dear to me is how he fills our home with songs and laughter as he delights Eli with verses he has composed.

Being a father, especially a new father, is a lot of hard work, but he approaches every moment as one to be cherished. His patience and love is a blessing. Being a Dad takes on a special meaning for Mark as he lost his father at a young age. I believe this has driven his earnest desire to be the best father and it shows every day in the way he treats his family. I can think of no one more deserving than Mark, father of Elijah Rhys, to be Father of the Month.