Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
A look back on Loyalty Day
Do you remember Loyalty Day in Chester County? In the 1950s and mid-1960s it was a day of parades through West Chester.
In 2017 Loyalty Day is mostly a forgotten event. Calls to local VFWs and the Coatesville VA yielded no Loyalty Day events. A Loyalty Day program was held at the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex organized by the VFW.
According to USA Today “Loyalty Day” was established in 1921 during the “Red Scare” and was officially enacted by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1955. Through the years, U.S. presidents, including Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, have issued proclamations for “Loyalty Day.”
Archives from the Daily Local News show that in 1956, 5,000 people lined Gay Street for a 10-blocklong parade on Loyalty Day. Eight marching bands and drum and bugle corps performed, followed by a ceremony at the Gay Street School grounds. Master of Ceremonies was Congressman Paul B. Dague.
“One way to show loyalty is to respect veterans,” said state Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19, who has sponsored a number of veteran-focused causes. “Loyalty to the nation, and to its constitutional principles reminds us of those principles. Loyalty has nothing to do with party. People shouldn’t get politics confused with love of nation.”
Dinniman said that he and state Sen. John Rafferty, R-44, have co-sponsored a bill in the state Senate to support civics education in high school. The bill would require high school seniors to pass a test on 100 basic facts on the U.S. Citizenship Civics test.