
DATE: Friday, May 16, 1997                  TAG: 9705150224
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 18   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY CAROLE O'KEEFFE, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   83 lines

WHO'S THE BEST FATHER? THESE KIDS KNOW MORE THAN 1,200 YOUTHS ENTERED AN ESSAY CONTEST TELLING WHY THEIR DAD IS THE GREATEST.

Father's Day is a month away for most dads, but it came early for a few fortunate fathers in Virginia Beach.

More than 1,200 youths responded to an invitation from the Community Services Board and other agencies to tell why their dad is the best.

Last Thursday night, a dozen dads were singled out from among the winning entries at a Dad's Appreciation Day ceremony at The Contemporary Art Center of Virginia.

``We want to recognize fathers and father figures as making an important contribution. Deadbeat dads usually get the attention,'' said Ron Clark, who works for the Community Services Board and chaired the event.

He said the event committee was surprised by the number of responses.

``This really touched a nerve,'' said Clark, who works with teen fathers and fatherless children in the city's Fatherhood/Manhood Program.

The essays were solicited through the schools and turned in to libraries, recreation centers or language arts instructors.

Michelle Correa, a third-grader at Glenwood Elementary, was among the lucky few who made her dad, Ricardo Correa, a winner.

``He comforts me always and teaches me not to fear and that's why I think he should be Father of the Year,'' she said in her essay about the 32-year-old civil engineer.

Joseph Irby, a fifth-grader at Holland Elementary School, wrote that his father, William C. Irby, works hard to provide for their family.

``He is a construction worker and works in the really cold weather in the winter and the hot weather in the summer. He doesn't make a whole lot of money, so he works overtime to buy us food and clothes. He always puts the needs of me, my mom, and my brother and sister before his.

``Even though he works a lot, he still makes time to take us fishing and to wrestle with us - he lets us win! Now it's my dad's turn to win. I love him and he deserves to be Father of the Year.''

Because not all children have a father or stepfather living with them, the contest was open for nominations for father figure of the year as well.

Glenn Kouri, a seventh-grader, nominated his neighbor John M. Ryan.

``He attends my sports activities, teaches me things about yard work, helps me with by baseball skills, gives me great advice and most importantly, he pushes me hard in school. I hope to grow up to be a successful lawyer like him. Now all I'd like to say is: thanks, Dad.''

Kouri's natural father died when he was 3.

In all, the contest generated 1,204 entries, and one winner was picked for each of the 12 grade levels. A dozen or so students also received honorable mention for their essays.

In addition to all of the winning essays being read at last week's ceremony, the youths and their fathers got to meet former Major League Baseball pitcher Al Holland, who played with six teams and pitched in the 1983 World Series for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Holland told how his father left home when he was 9.

``I found father figures at the YMCA and my coaches,'' he said.

He added that he regrets that when his own three children were growing up, he was off playing baseball.

``A lot of the times I wasn't there. My wife had to be father and mother,'' Holland said. ``They had all the toys, all the gadgets, all the good things, but they didn't have me.''

Holland now works with hundreds of children as an assistant principal and counselor for at-risk children in the Roanoke school system.

The Dad's Appreciation Day was sponsored by city public and private schools, home-schooled children, the Department of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Public Libraries.

More than a dozen businesses also helped underwrite the costs. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by CAROLE O'KEEFFE

Michelle Annette Correa, a third-grader at Glenwood Elementary

School, wrote a winning essay about her dad, Ricardo Correa.

Jason Harrell, an eighth-grader at Salem Middle School, is proud of

his winning father, Leroy Harrell.

Princess Anne Elementary students Andrew and Rebecca Leedom sit with

their father, Bob Leedom, as he shows off his plaque.

Graphic

[For a complete copy of DADS OF THE YEAR, please see microfilm.]