National Joe Day

By Diane Forrest 

During the 2008 Presidential Debates against John McCain and President Obama, an unknown hero was born, his name is Joe, the Plumber.   McCain used his name as a metaphor to describe every man who was not in favor of redistributing the wealth as Obama had discussed.  The name Joe is frequently used when addressing someone who's name you don't know...such as " What do you know, Joe?"

While the name Joe may not appear on the top 10 list of names for boys according to the ssa.gov website, the name Joe has had a long history, and belongs to several fascinating people.  One of the first famous Joe's that I can think of is the father of Jesus, Joseph.  I wonder if Mary would say, "So Joe, what do you know?" I have had a few wonderful men in my life named Joe.  I had an Uncle Joe, who was a calm, quiet man.  I went to school with a guy named Joe, who was a wild and crazy guy, and today, one of my best friend's is named Joe.  The common thread in each of these Joe's is they all have big  hearts, and would go out of their way to help a friend or stranger in need. It was their desire to make the world a better place, and their actions made me a better person just by knowing them.

One of the sweetest stories I know about a Joe, is about Joe DiMaggio, who put roses on Marilyn Monroe's grave every week until he passed away.  Such love and loyalty and devotion is truly heartwarming.   Today is National Joe Day.  Its a day to celebrate all the great Joe's you know, and if you don't have a wonderful Joe in your life, then for today, you can change your name to Joe and be a wonderful person to someone else.

As for my best friend Joe, he recently celebrated his 75th birthday, and has been under the weather with bouts of the flu, viruses and seasonal allergies, and I would like to give a shout out to him, and pray that he recovers soon, so he can get back to doing what he does best, being a wonderful friend to everyone he knows.  Get Well Quick Joe!! We are praying for you!

Here are some other famous Joe's:

• Mighty Joe Young
• Joe Six Pack
• Joe Camel
• Joe Montana
• Joe Biden
• Joe Cool
• Joe Lieberman
• Trader Joe's
• GI Joe
• Joe Jackson
• Joe Dowdle
• Shoeless Joe Jackson
• Joe Mauer
• Joe Mantegna
• Joe Palca
• Joe DiMaggio
• Joe Namath
• Joe Theismann
• Country Joe McDonald
• Joe Strummer
• Joe Jonas
• Joe Louis
• Joe Spano
• Joe Satriani
• Philly Joe Jones
• Joe Cocker
• Joe the Plumber
• Joe Torre
• Joe Frazier
• Joe Flacco
• Joe Stevenson
• Viewtiful Joe
• Joe Calzaghe

(All images from Google)