Marian McQuade (January 18, 1917 – September 26, 2008) was an American elder rights activist from West Virginia, best known as the founder of Grandparents' Day in the United States.

Early life and education

McQuade was born Marian Lucille Herndon in Caperton, West Virginia on January 18, 1917. Like

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in Mar ...

founder Anna Jarvis, she was a native West Virginian. As a child, she often visited elderly neighbors with her grandmother. After graduating high school, she went on to briefly attend nursing school. In 1936, she dropped out of school to marry Joe McQuade, a coal miner, whom she had first dated in high school.

Activism

McQuade's first foray into activism was in 1956, when she organized an event for octogenarians in the state. After the youngest of her 15 children graduating high school, McQuade focused on helping the elderly. She served on the West Virginia Commission on Aging, the Nursing Home Licensing Board, and the Vocational Rehabilitation Foundation. For many years, she helped with the Past 80 Party, which was held annually in Richwood, WV. Jim Comstock, editor of 'The News Leader' and the West Virginia Hillbilly, originated the Past 80 Party. In 1970, she ran for a seat in Congress as a Republican, but was defeated. In 1972, she ran for a seat in the West Virginia Senate, and was again unsuccessful. In 1971, McQuade was a delegate at the

White House Conference on Aging White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wavelen ...

. That same year, she was elected vice-chairman of the West Virginia Committee of Aging.

National Grandparents' Day

McQuade began campaigning for a National Grandparents Day in 1970, hoping it would allow nursing care patients a time to connect with their families. In 1973, West Virginia became the first state with a special day to honor grandparents when Governor Arch Moore proclaimed May 27, 1973, Grandparents Day. She continued to push other states to adopt the day as a yearly observance, helped by a group of volunteers who hailed primarily form her church. In September 1978, the White House called her to inform her that President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

had signed a bill designating the Sunday after

Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...

as National Grandparents Day beginning in 1979. Throughout her campaigning, McQuade remained adamant that the day be focused on homemade gifts and family time, rather than commercialism; at one point, she turned down royalties from a company selling Grandparents Day cards. In 1989, the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

issued a tenth anniversary commemorative envelope bearing the likeness of Marian McQuade in honor of National Grandparents Day. In her later years, McQuade launched a website for National Grandparents' Day

Later years and personal life

She later lived in

Oak Hill, West Virginia Oak Hill is a city in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 8,179 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Beckley metropolitan area. Country singer Hank Williams died in Oak Hill on his way to a concert on January 1, 1 ...

with her husband, Joe McQuade (1915–2001). She died from

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

at a nursing home in Oak Hill on September 26, 2008, at age 91. McQuade had 15 children and 43 grandchildren.

References

1917 births 2008 deaths 20th-century people from West Virginia 20th-century American women Activists from West Virginia American elder rights activists People from Fayette County, West Virginia {{US-activist-stub West Virginia Republicans