By Betsy Stein
To help celebrate Father’s Day this month, we asked notable fathers in the area to recall their best memories as dads. From Ravens Joe Flacco recalling the birth of his son to Matt Birk wrestling with his kids under the Superdome to meteorologist Doug Hill learning that he was having twins — here is what they had to say.
Flacco and other dads share memories
Joe Flacco, quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens
“Stephen’s first 10 months have been filled with so many changes that it would be tough to pick one memory. I think of a lot of moments, like him smiling back at Dana and me, him crawling for the first time, or even being in New Orleans at the Super Bowl with him. Having said all of that, I think my best memory so far is when the doctor placed him on Dana’s chest in the hospital. I couldn’t have been more proud of my wife, and also the fact that I was a dad.”
Photo right: Stephen Flacco
Jim Johnson, relief pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles
“My best memory so far was the day my son was born. Not that the day my daughter was born wasn’t important, but the reaction that my little girl made when she saw my son for the first time and realized she was going to be a big sister was something I’ll never forget. It really was something special.”
Photo right: Abby Johnson meeting brother Levi for the first time.
Anthony G. Brown, Lt. Governor of Maryland
“Like many busy dads, my schedule keeps me busy every day of the week. So I cherish any time that I get to watch my son’s baseball game, have lunch with my daughter, or watch a movie with Karmen and the kids. Twelve years ago, I became an adoptive parent when we brought my son, Jonathan, into our family. As we considered expanding our family through adoption, I had an overwhelming sense of the wonderful thing we were doing for this child. But upon bringing Jonathan home, we quickly learned the truth—that we were the recipients of a gift that continues to change and enrich our lives every single day in ways we couldn’t possibly imagine.”
Photo right: Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, his wife Karmen, daughter Rebecca, 18, stepson Anthony Walker, 13, (on left) and son Jonathan, 12, (on right).
Matt Birk former center for the Baltimore Ravens
“My favorite memory as a dad is the Saturday before the Super Bowl at the ‘walk through’ in the Superdome. My family was there, and I was wrestling with my kids on the turf. There was so much anticipation and anxiousness for the game, but being there with my kids in that moment, the significance of the game went away. I was lost in that moment, and I think it was the only time my thoughts were free that entire week.”
Photo right: Matt Birk with four of his six kids including Sydney, Ava, Grant and Cole at the Superdome in New Orleans. Photo by Paul Vitale.
Joshua Cohen, Mayor of Annapolis
“One of my favorite memories with Naomi (now 8) was when she was born. Her mom was waiting in the recovery room, and I was with Naomi while she was in the isolette getting weighed and checked by the nurses. Naomi started crying and I was the only one with her. At that point, I had no idea what I was doing as a father, but I placed my pinky finger in her mouth so she could calm herself, and it worked. It seems like a small thing now, but in that moment I knew my life had changed forever and I would always be connected to this beautiful baby girl. Naomi still gets a big kick out of it whenever she hears the story.
“One of my favorite memories with both girls was right after Tessa (now 4) was born. As we were getting closer to the delivery date, 4-year-old Naomi was getting more and more excited that she was going to have a baby sister. The day Tessa was born, her mom and I went to the hospital while my parents stayed home with Naomi. When we were ready, they brought Naomi to the hospital to see her new baby sister. Naomi’s eyes were so big with excitement and anticipation. She sat down and we gently placed Tessa in her arms. For the first time, she was holding her baby sister! This wasn’t just a baby doll, this was a living, breathing sister! I will always remember the look of complete amazement and happiness on Naomi’s face at that moment, no longer an only child — from now on, a big sister.”
Photo right: Lesley and Joshua Cohen with daughters Naomi and Tessa
Doug Hill, ABC7 Chief Meteorologist
Hill’s best memories as a dad were the days each of his four children were born.
“But the day two came out at once, that was the most memorable — having two at once,” he said. “I was thrilled beyond belief.”
Hill and his wife had been told they were having twin boys, but one day during a sonogram the tech went to check on the “two little guys,” and they found out one of the little guys wasn’t a guy.
“Maggie was born first and was larger and cried right away, Peter was puny and grey… but he’s made up for it over the years,” Hill said.
The twins are 16 now.
Photo right: Doug Hill with twins Maggie and Peter.
Michael E. Busch, Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates
Mike Busch says he has many good memories with his daughters Megan, 14, and Erin, 17. They spend summers at the beach and always laugh about an incident that happened when the girls were 2 and 5 years old.
“I would often take them both in the water and hold them up one at a time. One time we got hit by a huge wave and it knocked me over. I reached down and thought I had Megan’s hand, who couldn’t swim, but it turns out I had Erin. When I stood up, I saw Megan rolling in the waves and when I grabbed her, she was all teary eyed and said ‘Daddy, I die!’ We always laugh about that now.”
Busch says he’s very close with his daughters and still has “Daddy bonding nights” with them, which often include dinner and a movie.
Photo right: Michael Busch and his daughters Megan and Erin.
