Something truly magical happened at our school on February 12!

As chairman of the Time Travelers program at Stevenson, I had gathered the students together in the auditorium to lead them in a reading of The Gettysburg Address to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of our nation’s 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. As we spoke the opening words of the speech, a secret service agent from the United States government stormed down the aisle and demanded that I leave the stage. When I politely refused, he challenged me to a spelling bee in a firm but peaceful manner. Unable to spell the word “Ginnetti” I retreated from the stage sheepishly and uncertain of what was about to happen. Having secured the stage, the agent spoke some sort of secret code, which was immediately followed by the playing of “Hail to the Chief” from an unknown source.

Suddenly, from between the partially drawn curtains, an extremely tall and distinguished gentleman appeared on stage and made his way to the podium. With his signature tall hat and precisely trimmed beard, there was no doubt that Abraham Lincoln had made his way from the great unknown into our midst! He spoke of his life two centuries ago and of the great adversities he had overcome to become one of our most admired Presidents. He challenged our students to work hard at their studies and to continue reading until they fully grasped the material. Abraham Lincoln was able to pass the bar in his home state of Illinois and become a lawyer by reading and re-reading law books until he fully understood their content.

He shared many personal stories, the most memorable being his first date with Mary Todd when he danced awkwardly after professing to her that he wanted to dance with her in “the worst way possible.” He also reminded the children that life was much simpler in his time when the world was without cell phones, game boys and computers. His most prized possession, as a boy was a hand carved toy whistle. Stevenson parents might want to keep this in mind when their children are lobbying for the newest edition of X-box or Play Station! To conclude his time with the children, President Lincoln led the students in a reading of the Gettysburg address that was quite moving for all in attendance. In a particularly kind gesture, he stayed behind with our youngest students and answered their questions in earnest and even posed for photographs with some of them. It was the perfect way to conclude a very magical and unforgettable encounter with a great man from our Nation’s past.

Special thanks to Tom Katsis, Jason Burks, Waltona Manion, Nancy Malone, Miss Ginnetti and her angels Joyce, Deidre and Bev, De Eldridge and our wonderful custodian Oscar for making this event possible.

(Paul Bond reporting for the Time Travelers network.)