National Grandparents' Day Date in the current year: September 8, 2024

Marian McQuade of Oak Hill, West Virginia is considered to have founded National Grandparents' Day. She served on the West Virginia Commission on Aging and the Nursing Home Licensing Board and strove to raise awareness about the important contributions made by seniors throughout the history.

In 1973, May 27 was proclaimed Grandparents' Day in West Virginia. McQuade started encouraging other states to proclaim their own Grandparents' Day. In 1977, a group of senators led by Senator Jennings Randolph introduced a respective resolution to the Senate. On August 3, 1978 U. S. President Jimmy Carter proclaimed the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents' Day.

This holiday even has official symbols, namely song and flower. Since 2004, the holiday's official song has been “A Song for Grandma and Grandpa” by Johnny Prill. It is performed in many schools, churches and other groups on this day. The official flower of Grandparents' Day is the forget-me-not. As it blooms in the spring, grandparents are usually given seasonal flowers for their holiday.