Pam:
I know your Dad is going to love that quilt!
As for the quiting. If it were mine, I would definately quilt the borders. You're talking about 16 inches of border here. It's a great place to showcase some quilting (if the fabric isn't too busy). You could quilt the entire area of borders as though it were one piece. Just quilt right over top of the rows. I personally feel that when large areas are unquilted, it looks skimpy and there's always the possibility of the batting lumping up.
Suggestion: If you're in a hurry...Starting in the cneter of the the border, draw a chevron design all the way through the borders. Quilt the lines one or two inches apart. If you have enough time, then turn the chevron upside down and when you quilt those lines, you'll have 1. a lot of quilting 2. A secure quilt 3. A very interesting pattern.
Good luck.
If you can't envision my suggestion, email me and I'll try to better explain.
Karen