--- title: Grandparents Day: The Story of a Boy and His Grandpa description: For Grandparents Day, a look back at a 1955 LIFE cover story about 6-year-old Billy Conner and his cherished grandpa William. canonical: https://time.com/4021409/grandparents-day-life-story/ author: Eliza Berman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-11T14:00:51.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:47:03.062Z og:title: This May Be the Sweetest Grandfather-Grandson Relationship Ever og:description: For Grandparents Day, a look back at a 1955 LIFE cover story about 6-year-old Billy Conner and his cherished grandpa William. og:url: https://time.com/4021409/grandparents-day-life-story/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6715697844d49f88/69886228e20a8777d9a8d109/150902-grandparents-12.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Grandparents Essay 1955 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This May Be the Sweetest Grandfather-Grandson Relationship Ever twitter:description: For Grandparents Day, a look back at a 1955 LIFE cover story about 6-year-old Billy Conner and his cherished grandpa William. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6715697844d49f88/69886228e20a8777d9a8d109/150902-grandparents-12.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This May Be the Sweetest Grandfather-Grandson Relationship Ever  by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Sep 11, 2015 2:00 PM UTC  Caption from LIFE. An early-morning start on a catfish expedition in a car named Old Dilsie. Caption from LIFE. An early-morning start on a catfish expedition in a car named Old Dilsie.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Sep 11, 2015 2:00 PM UTC For just one day every September, the spoilers become the spoiled. National Grandparents Day has been observed in the U.S. on the first Sunday after Labor Day since President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation in 1979\. But for one 6-year-old boy, long before that day was made official, _every_ day was grandparents day. On Aug. 29, 1955, the face of a red-haired, freckle-nosed boy named Billy Conner graced the cover of LIFE Magazine under the headline, “The Fun of Being a Grandson.” Billy lived four blocks away from his grandfather William James Conner, 63, a section foreman on the Missouri Pacific Railroad in Batesville, Ark. The photo essay by Leonard McCombe documented their afternoons reading the newspaper, eating ice cream, fishing for catfish and dealing with wiggly teeth. Though Billy’s love for his grandfather is unmistakably genuine, his desire to spend time together stemmed, at least in part, from William’s willingness to indulge his grandson’s boyish behavior: Billy “revels in the company of granddad because he is no disciplinarian at all.”  August 29, 1955 cover of LIFE magazine. Leonard McCombe—LIFE Magazine _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter_ [_@lizabethronk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk)_._  Caption from LIFE. On the steps of the porch, dislodging a pair of glasses ends granddad's reading period. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. In a shop, choice between glove or ball. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. On a walk, an impatient tug toward a treat. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. At the ice cream stand, something for both of them. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Six-year-old Billy Conner takes a wobbly first ride on a big bicycle as his grandfather gives him a steadying hand on the back of his seat. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Six-year-old Billy Conner cries as he hugs his grandfather William Conner, who pats his shoulder reassuringly in the backyard at home. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. An uneasy approach to the operation. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Trophy on a string. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. One puff spoils a pleasant illusion: A big act with a prop. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. After an experimental puff, a disenchantment with an adult pleasure. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty  Billy Conner and his grandfather William climbing a tree. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. An early-morning start on a catfish expedition in a car named Old Dilsie. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Billy Conner and his grandfather William go fishing. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Billy Conner watches his grandfather William with a puppy. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Billy Conner talks to his grandfather William on the train tracks. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. One hand free, waving at an engineer friend, the other hand holding tight. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4021409/grandparents-day-life-story/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4021409/grandparents-day-life-story/"},"headline":"This May Be the Sweetest Grandfather-Grandson Relationship Ever","datePublished":"2015-09-11T14:00:51.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:47:03.062Z","description":"For Grandparents Day, a look back at a 1955 LIFE cover story about 6-year-old Billy Conner and his cherished grandpa William","url":"https://time.com/4021409/grandparents-day-life-story/","keywords":["photography","Newsfeed","LIFE Magazine","Leonard McCombe","1955"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6715697844d49f88/69886228e20a8777d9a8d109/150902-grandparents-12.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliza Berman","jobTitle":"Berman is a senior editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6715697844d49f88/69886228e20a8777d9a8d109/150902-grandparents-12.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Grandparents Essay 1955","caption":"An early-morning start on a catfish expedition in a car named Old Dilsie.","creditText":"Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/photography/","name":"photography"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4021409/grandparents-day-life-story/","name":"This May Be the Sweetest Grandfather-Grandson Relationship Ever"}}]}] ```