It’s Father’s Day and I’m just back from breakfast with my parents at their home in Teaneck, NJ: our typical Sunday morning bagels and lox, my mom’s freshly brewed coffee and home-made marble cake, served with love, laughter, and lots of shared wisdom. I am surely the luckiest girl in the world to have these two wonderful people in my life! Since many of you know my dad Mac Alberg from his 70 years in the menswear business, I’m happy to report that while he never intended to retire, he’s actually enjoying it: taking some classes, helping out at my brother’s dental practice and finding time to reconnect with his beautiful bride (62 years later...)

Above: Master of Ceremonies Chris Matthews with Father’s of the Year award winners Major General Kenneth Dowd (for General Petraeus), Jonathan Tisch, Father’s Day Committee Chairman Glen Schanen, Al Unser Sr., Ron Wurtzburger, Mike Kryzewski

I’m also still on a high from the 68th Annual Father of the Year Awards luncheon this past Thursday. (See photos from the event in our Schmoozing section.) Chaired by Macy’s Glen Schanen and moderated by MSNBC’s Chris Matthews (in a Brooks Brothers suit), honorees were Michael Krzyzewski, head basketball coach at Duke; George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, Jonathan Tisch of Loews Hotels, auto racing legend Al Unser Sr., General David Petraeus, Robert Wunder, and our industry’s own Ron Wurtzburger. Proceeds went to Save the Children, a non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of children around the globe.

Above: Ron Wurtzburger with two of his grandsons.

Wurtzburger accepted the 2009 Milton Margolis Humanitarian Award from Macy’s chairman Terry Lundgren with considerable humility and class. Thanking every member of four generations of his family (with special thanks to his mother-in-law Charlotte and Peerless owner Alvin Segal), Ronny recalled how proud he was as a child seeing his own mother honored by the March of Dimes. “Your children see how you live your life and it somehow inspires them,” he maintains. He speaks of his dad as a tough kid from the Lower East Side “who worked incredibly hard but still found time for me. He was a sweet, loving, unselfish man and I still miss him very much!” What he learned from his dad: “how to trust, how to love, how to be truthful to yourself, how to be there for your family…”

In fact, all the honorees shared wonderful lessons from their fathers. Al Unser’s dad taught him that “if you start it, finish it.” Jonathan Tisch’s father taught him to treat all people with respect, be it a waiter or a CEO. Coach K’s father, an elevator operator, taught his son pride in their heritage (which is why he’s kept his unpronounceable name) and the importance of supporting family. General Petraeus (represented at the event by Major General Kenneth Dowd) learned about unconditional love, as well as “no excuses, no shortcuts.” George Stephanopoulos, whose father was a Greek Orthodox priest, learned to “love thy neighbor, commit to higher causes, and always retain a sense of humor.”

Above: All-Star dad Robert Wunder and his son Rob Wunder.

A highlight of the luncheon was clearly the “All-Star Dad” award presented by the Sani Family Foundation to Robert Wunder. The award recognizes a special father who goes above and beyond; Wunder was selected (among thousands of applicant essays) for putting his own career on hold to attend Temple University with his son who was paralyzed in a diving accident in high school. (Ironically, Rob had taught phys ed to handicapped students for more than two decades.) I had the pleasure at the event of chatting with his son (also named Rob); he is a terrific young man with an inner strength and poise that clearly reflects the unconditional love of family.

If you’re lucky enough to have a father or to be a father, soak in that unconditional love. All our business pressures are insignificant in comparison.