Some stories need to be retold. The remarkable story of Abraham Lincoln, who overcame poverty and little formal education to lead our country through its worst struggle, is a story that deserves to be retold.

Celebrating the month of our 16th President’s birth, we will welcome a visit from Old Abe himself. In a series of short stories, he will tell us about his boyhood, life in the 1820’s, education, his various employments, politics, the presidency, the Civil War, Gettysburg, his re-election, second inaugural, assassination and farewell at Springfield. Mr. Lincoln will also cover the problems he had with slavery, and his various attempts to solve it, holding the radicals back, keeping Kentucky and Tennessee neutral, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the elections of 1860 and 1864, both of which he was not supposed to win.

Our speaker is one of our own CWRT members, J.P. Wammack. He earned his degree in History from UCLA, and has been in the life insurance business with Northwestern Mutual for 29 years. Five years ago, he began doing Lincoln impersonations, following a 15-year tradition set by his father, H.M. Wammack. He has portrayed Lincoln more than 100 times at schools, churches and service clubs. To get into character, J.P. likes to split firewood with a wedge and sledge hammer. He lives in Montrose with his wife of 28 years, Nancy , and is raising three children.

Come and learn more about our most important president, and how our country became the nation where “all men are created equal.”

 

Janet Whaley
Program Chair

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