810-UncMter Fanning, Saturday. November 9, 1996 ,V.| > a LINDA WILUAMS Bedford Co. Correspondent GETTYSBURG (Adams Co.) James Getty, who looks a lot like the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, lives in Gettysburg. Mr. Getty has always been fas cinated with Abe Lincoln and, when a friend suggested that he could do impersonations, he de cided tq give it a try. Today. Mr, Getty impersonates Abe in a theater at Gettysburg as well as in schools and Civil War related programs around the coun try. Children who meet Mr. Getty are always impressed with his ability to think, stand, move, and talk exactly as we have always is this the real Abe Lin coln? Mr. Getty studied every book written about Pres. Lincoln In order to give a true representation of Lincoln’s manner isms. ids * Abraham Lincoln Lives pictured Mr. Lincoln. He speaks as though it was still 1862 and the Civil War was raging throughout the land. Ask him about his mother, Nan cy, his sister, Sarah, or his father or stepmother, and he will give an honest answer. He remembers playing in the creek in Kentucky and seeing slaves passing by in chains. “It was at that time that I decided sla very was wrong,” he says. Mr. Lincoln speaks of his great love for books as a young man and tells humorous stories of the “blabb school,” he attended in Kentucky. When someone reveals where his home town is located, Mr. Lin coln can immediately relate the part that area of the country played in the Civil War. He ends each of his presenta tions by reciting the Gettysburg Address which was first given at Gettysburg on November 19, 1863. That was a cold, late autumn day and Mr. Lincoln was invited to speak along with the great pro fessional speaker, Edward Ever ett Mr. Everett spoke for two and 'A hours. Imagine going to church and listening to the minister speak for that long. Then, it was Mr. Lincoln’s turn and his speech took only a few minutes. It was several years before the American people realized just how important the words uttered in those few minutes were or how well they had been written and de livered. Mr. Lincoln was wrong on one account. ‘The world will little note nor tong remember what we say here,” he said in his speech. Today, the Gettysburg Address is an important part of almost every American history class. Presenting this realistic portray al of Mr. Lincoln did not come easily. “I studied and read every book I could find on “Honest Abe,” smiles Mr. Getty. He visited the place where Lin Kentucky where he grew up, the farmland in Indiana where the Lincolns next lived, and the small town in Illinois where Lincoln tried his hand at being a business man. When he tells people in each of the areas he visits what he is do ing, they are happy to take him to locations or graves where friends or families of Lincoln lived or are buried. By visiting these sites. Mr. Get ty says he gets a real feel for how Mr. Lincoln must have reacted to each of these individuals who played an important role in his life. “My favorite presentations are always given to school children,” says Mr. Getty. “I love helping them to see what a magnificent person President Lincoln really was.” “Without him, this country might have taken an entirely dif ferent course and it might not be the great country it is today. Your school could contact Mr. Getty about doing a Lincoln per formance by calling him at the Conflict Theater in Gettysburg, at (717) 334-6049. orne James Getty poses as Mr. Lincoln during a ceremony held recently In Bedford. ✓
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