Lincoln impersonator circa 1975

[smbovard]

I came across news reports this weekend detailing the national convention of Abraham Lincoln Presenters (ALP) in Columbus Ohio (http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/...-city.html) and it brought back a distant memory of a Lincoln impersonator that I saw back in 1975 when I was in junior high school in Effingham, Illinois.

While Effingham isn't exactly the heart of Lincolnland (about 100 miles southeast of Springfield ---it is plenty close. Lincoln road the circuit through Shelby County just to the north. Anyway I remember I was in Social Studies class --I think that this was either the spring of 1974 or 1975 -- when the teacher passed out flyers advertising the appearance of a Lincoln impersonator to be held in the gym of another local school ---and extra credit would be given to any student who attended. One of the points noted on the flyer was that the presenter was actually related to Lincoln (last name was Hanks I remembered) -- I was a great Lincoln admirer and was properly impressed. I made plans to attend and with great effort talked a couple of my friends into tagging along.

We appeared in the gym at the appointed hour and were surprised to find that only two or three other people had shown up for the show. I remember feeling sorry for the Lincoln impersonator and kind of embarrassed that so small a crowd had turned out to see him. But he gave the show in the best theatrical tradition - looked like the genuine article-- and carried on even if it was for just a few kids in a stuffy empty gym. Gas was only 50 cents a gallon back then but I am sure that he did not make a cent for his effort.

Summoning up that memory switched on my curiousity and I put in the search item "Hanks Lincoln impersonator" and found Bruce Hanks again after almost 40 years. I am 95% percent sure he was the generous determined fellow I watched perform almost 40 years ago. The search yielded many hits related to his successful career which included mention in People magazine in 1976. The last notes on him I can find are from 2009. By all measures a fine gentleman.