Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 91.djvu/1770

 91 STAT. 1736

PROCLAMATION 4503—APR. 21, 1977

from Savannah, Georgia, on that date in 1819 of the SS SAVANNAH on the first transatlantic voyage by any steamship, and requested the President to issue annually a proclamation calling for its appropriate observance. Because May 22 falls on Simday this year, and in keeping with custom, it is appropriate to observe National Maritime Day on the following Monday. NOW, THEREFORE, I, JIMMY CARTER, President of the United States of America, do hereby urge the people of the United States to honor our American Merchant Marine on May 23, 1977, by displaying the flag of the United States at their homes and other suitable places, and I request that all ships sailing under the American flag dress ship on that day. I N WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of April in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred seventy-seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and first. -= • JIMMY CARTER

Proclamation 4503

•

April 21, 1977

Mother's Day, 1977

By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Recent shifts in our culture and society have created new patterns of life for many American mothers and families. Some of these changes have been desirable, and some not so desirable. But all have put new burdens on the women who must adapt to the shifts—the mothers of America. By and large they have met the challenge of change with grace, intelligence, and dignity. Mother's Day should no longer be merely a day on which we reaffirm our love for our mothers. It should also be an occasion for admiration of the way American mothers have maintained those family bonds that protect us from the tmcertainties of a changing society and give meaning and direction to our lives. And it should be an occasion for those of us in public life to reflect on what government can do to help the mothers of America keep our families strong. 36 USC 142.

In recognition of the contributions of all mothers to their families and to the Nation, the Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 8, 1914 (38 Stat. 770), designated the second Sunday in May each year as Mother's Day and requested the President to call for its appropriate observance. NOW, THEREFORE, I, JIMMY CARTER, President of the United States of America, do hereby request that Sunday, May 8, 1977, be observed as Mother's Day.

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