Today would’ve been my Dad’s birthday, John.

I miss him every day, but especially today. To get to know me, you have to know him. He’s the reason why I believe in hard work — and why I know we can solve any problem with a little determination.

My dad’s parents immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1900s. He worked hard to earn a degree as an engineer, graduating during the Great Depression, and took his first job at General Electric in St. Louis. Times were tough and the job was out of town, so my grandfather took the last $100 out of his own bank account to get his son, my Dad, a train ticket to St. Louis, Missouri. That’s where he met my mom. Not too long after, my mom and Dad got married.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II and was set to be stationed in North Africa. But the Army decided they needed him here at home working with converted factories manufacturing important supplies the U.S. needed like ammunition.

After the war was over, he joined a business that made wheelbarrows and eventually used his problem solving skills and some of the same know-how used to make those wheelbarrows, to solve one of the most vexing problems facing American families at the time: how to keep the lid from blowing off their TV dinners in the oven.

Even as Dad worked to support our family, he still made the time to help me build a giant Lego model of the Apollo 13 rocket, play with model trains, and film tons of home movies.

When I got a little older and the Lego boxes had long collected dust, Dad and I talked careers. He wanted me to be a lawyer so he could finally have one he trusted (I like to think he invented the dad joke). His other goal for me was to become the next women’s PGA golf champion.

Well, instead he got a doctor and a daughter who was OK at sports — not exactly a champion, but I do love a good bike ride!

Dad always pushed me to be and do my best. At dinner time, he’d often give me a “problem of the day” and we’d tackle it together. While the problems I’ve faced as a physician, Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, and a mom have been a little tougher than our hypothetical problems at the dinner table, Dad instilled the determination and critical thinking in me that has helped me take on more than I ever could have imagined.

It’s thanks to my dad that I’m where I’m at today. He took great care of me, and now I’m in a position where I can make taking care of Pennsylvania’s families my number one job — as a physician, Chair, and your next Senator.

So thank you, Dad. And happy birthday. I wish I could spend it with you, making Lego models and solving a problem over dinner, but I’ll never forget all the days we had together.

Val