Grandparent's Day is, by and large, a relatively modern concept. The first National Grandparent's Day was in 1978, and was the brainchild of Marian McQuade. The beginnings of the idea occurred in 1973, and McQuade spent the next five years encouraging all states and governments to recognize the holiday. In this, she was impressively successful.

Marian McQuade has thus become the founder of National Grandparent's Day, and even in the present times her descendants run the National Grandparent's Day Council. The Council is a non-profit corporation which works throughout the year (and of course on the day itself) to strengthen bonds between Grandparents and Grandchildren, and also run assistance programs for struggling nursing homes.

McQuade herself was the wife of a coal miner, Joe McQuade. Together, they had 15 children, 43 Grandchildren and – at the time of Marian's death, in September 2008 – 15 great grandchildren. She was, it is safe to say, extremely well versed in what it is to be a Grandparent – and the national holiday has become a legacy of this extraordinary woman.

The foundations of National Grandparent's Day began, as briefly mentioned, in 1973. The Governor of McQuade's home state of West Virginia, Arch Moore, proclaimed that May 27th of that year would be designated National Grandparent's Day. This was a victory in itself, yet Marian McQuade set about taking her idea of a day to recognize Grandparents across America, across country.

The main focus for the day was to promote loving relationships between Grandparents and Grandchildren, as well as educate the younger generation on the benefits the elders in society can bring to modern life. There was also a large emphasis placed on encouraging children to recognize the contributions to American society that the older generation has made, from social changes and revolution, to those who fought in American wars.

The idea understandably caught on, and also in 1973, Senator Jennings Randolph issued the resolution that Grandparent's Day be a national holiday. In 1978, United States President Jimmy Carter signed the Congress-passed statute, declaring that the first Sunday after Labor Day each year would be designated Grandparent's Day. The statute of 1978 declared that Grandparent's Day was to be a day to: “... to honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children's children, and to help children become aware of strength, information, and guidance older people can offer.” Labor Day, a federal holiday, is observed on the first Monday in September each year. In 2009, for example, Labor Day is on September 7th, so National Grandparent's Day will be on Sunday September 13th.

Numerous associations with Grandparent's Day have since emerged, particularly in the flower used to represent the day – the forget-me-not. There is also an official song for the day; “A Song For Grandma and Grandpa” by Johnny Prill.

Marian McQuade's legacy has thus proved to be a powerful one, and a day for Grandparent's is also observed in Canada (on the second Sunday in September) and the United Kingdom (on the first Sunday in October).