LETTERS: TWO ROLE MODELS FOR GOOD FATHERS

To the editor:

Like many other holidays, we have a tendency to forget what Father's Day is really about. It is an excellent excuse for retail stores, greeting card companies and the like to boost sales. However, we all know the true meaning of the holiday is to follow one of the commandments, honor thy father.

There are two men who are not only role models to their children, but are also role models for me.

Dennis Bles has three children. At one time, all three lived with their mother in Kansas City. Anytime his children come to visit, you will see Dennis in his front yard with either a basketball, football, golf club or baseball playing with his kids. He is also the kind of dad who would not let a 700-mile round trip drive stop him from seeing his kids, if only for a few hours. Recently, he drove all the way to Kansas City and back just to watch his son, Jason, play football. It didn't matter to him that Jason, who was a sophomore in high school, only played a few minutes of the game on kickoff and punt returns. He was there to relish and share in his joy. After the game, he only spoke to Jason for a few minutes before Jason left to attend the homecoming party that followed. Dennis then got into his car and drove all the way back to Cape.

Reggie Walker is a man who epitomizes the word "father." He's a macho highway patrolman who has a much softer side. A few years ago his wife, Sally, suffered an illness for which she is still recovering. While Sally is still an active and loving mother, Reggie has taken on the additional role of caregiver for his wife while stepping into the nontraditional role as part-time mother for his daughter, Megan. Reggie is often seen on holidays such as Halloween or Valentine's Day helping pass out punch and cookies for his daughter's classroom parties. He'll bring Sally with him so she will not miss seeing Megan and her classmates enjoy themselves. Anyone who knows Reggie knows the extra responsibilities he has assumed. He does so without complaint. He is both a devoted husband and father.

Anyone who knows either of these two men also knows that the examples I've referred to are only a small part of the goodness that both of these men possess.

In a day when children are searching for role models in athletes and Hollywood stars, they need only look next door to find one. As a father myself, I use these men as icons of what a father should be. They simply have chosen to be a part of their children's lives.

They have not let barriers stop them from their responsibility of being the best parent they can be. This Father's Day, I commend them and many men like them for setting the example for the rest of us to follow.

Happy Father's Day.

KEVIN BUTLER

Cape Girardeau, Mo.