Long days, short nights, but worth it

As I'm sitting here late at night in a room far from home, I'm reminded of other nights long ago when something kept me up late. Back then it was one of two soft little bundles needing to be rocked to sleep and put to bed. Though the days of staying up late with my young daughters is long gone, I am up late with another of my babies. Even after a long day at the Lincoln Forum Symposium, I can't go to sleep until I've tucked my baby in bed. This time, though, the baby is a blog.

Lincoln Forum XIV
I'm at the 14th Annual Lincoln Forum Symposium in Gettysburg, my first. If you follow me on Twitter, you may already have a pretty good idea of today's activities. If you don't, I'll let you in a little on the fun.

I never get tired of learning new things about Lincoln, and today was no exception. I couldn't have asked for a more engaging lineup:

• Eileen Mackevich filled us in on the accomplishments of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and, believe me, they're impressive.
• John Marszaleck reported on the U.S. Grant Papers. After hearing him speak, I know they're in good hands.
• Ron White used Lincoln's eloquence himself in his presentation, "Abraham Lincoln 2009: Wisdom for Today."
• Vernon Burton was as enthusiastic as always as he shared his "Age of Lincoln" talk.
• Catherine Clinton's "Mary Lincoln Reconsidered" entertained as only Clinton can. She's one spunky historian - and one of too few women writing about history.
• Lewis Lehrman hit the mark with his talk about the Peoria speech. "Lincoln at the Turning Point: From Peoria to the Presidency" even attracted a question from one of my Twitter followers.
• Daniel Weinberg led a great panel on Lincoln collecting, with Lewis Lehrman, Frank J. Williams, Norman Boaz and Don McCue
• English Lincoln scholar Richard Carwardine rounded out the evening with "Just Laughter: The Moral Springs of Lincoln's Humor."

I'll try to come back to some of these in more depth later, but I think I'll turn the baby in tonight and get some shuteye myself. Follow me on Twitter tomorrow. Tomorrow night's speaker is sure to be a crowd pleaser - one of my favorties and one who has brought joy to many others through the years. Tomorrow is another Amazing Abe Adventure. Hope you'll join me.

Hear Lincoln scholars in Central Illinois

Lincoln Buff 2 is excited that today is the long-awaited lecture by Lincoln scholar James Oakes at the McLean County Museum of History in Bloomington (Ill.) Oakes was first scheduled to come a few months ago, on what turned out to be a horrific airline backup day. He couldn't make it out of New York to get here.

Oakes's talk, "Measure Him by the Sentiment of His Country: Fredrick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Anti-Slavery Politics," will be this evening, Thursday, April 2, 2009, from 7-8 p.m. I can't wait to meet him or to read his book, "The Radical and the Republican: Fredrick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln and the Triumph of Anti-Slavery Politics", which was awarded a Lincoln Prize in 2008.

Besides, my Lincoln friend, Lincoln Bicentennial co-chair Harold Holzer told me last year, "You'll like Oakes. He's fun." Holzers's stamp of approval is all any Lincoln scholar needs in my book. The event is free and open to the public.

On Monday, April 13, 2009, from 7-8 p.m., a British Lincoln scholar I met and got to visit with will be at the museum. Richard Carwardine, Rhodes Professor of American History at Oxford University. Dr. Carwardine will be presenting a lecture entitled "Abraham Lincoln, God and the American Civil War" in the historic gov Fifer Courtroom of the Museum. Carwardine is a delightful speaker who spent as much time asking me about my Lincoln interests as I did trying to learn more about him. I'll be sharing more about him in a future blog post, once I complete some coursework I'm taking for my job.

Hope to see some fellow Lincoln buffs here in McLean County for the Lincoln events. This county, where Lincoln spent so much time, continues to spark interest and educate about the 16th president's time and this area's important role in his life and legacy.

Both events are sponsored by the McLean County Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

One inspiration reflects on another

It never ceases to amaze me how our paths in life sometimes intersect with just the right people to help us uncover our true passions and propel us toward our dreams.

Island holds hidden treasure
I found one of these people on a late afternoon in the early 1990s in a classroom on Arsenal Island in the middle of the Mississippi River. John E. Hallwas, a Western Illinois University professor, regional historian and prolific author, was teaching a course on the literature of Illinois. I knew by the end of that first class period that this course and the instructor were going to leave indelible marks and help forge a new path in my life.

I’d always had an interest in regional history and I truly can’t remember a time when I wasn’t mesmerized by the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. Hallwas’s class was going to provide the backdrop I needed to better understand the state which I call home and, as the semester evolved, was to expose me to the literary eloquence of the sixteenth president and the work of authors who wrote of him.

The course and the professor’s encouragement were to lead me down a winding path which continued out of the classroom, through writers’ workshops, onto the pages of Illinois newspapers, into the mediums of corporate communications and out into the world of Lincoln as an enthusiast, lifelong learner and blogger.

Hallwas is now retired from the classroom, but he’s digging deeper than ever into the people and forces that helped to create the Prairie State we know now. When he’s not holed up in some archive or working at home on one of his latest books, you’ll find him traveling from one end of the state to the other, giving talks about Illinois history or his books. From time to time, he steps back to one of his earlier side jobs, providing thought-provoking columns for newspapers in the region.

Hallwas on Lincoln
In that last role, Hallwas recently wrote a series of four articles beginning with Obama’s inauguration and ending on Lincoln’s birthday. The articles cover how Lincoln’s shadow is felt in Illinois and the nation today, the importance of his legacy as a writer, his spiritual journey and why studying Lincoln continues to have value.

I found his columns in the online Lake County Journals:

• Hallwas: Obama’s inauguration and the shadow of Lincoln
• Hallwas: Lincoln as a writer
• Hallwas: Lincoln’s spiritual journey
• Hallwas: The quest to understand Lincoln

I’ve taken enough of Hallwas’s courses and read enough of his work to know some of the common themes he would cover in these articles, yet even after more than a decade and a half of exposure to his work, I always take away a new perspective and a greater appreciate for the subject at hand, thanks to his insightful coverage and well-developed narrative.

Hallwas was a big proponent of his students reading their work aloud, so I wasn’t surprised to see him share how it helped mold Lincoln the writer:

Through exposure to such noted books, frequent reading aloud, much effort at writing, and eventual practice at speaking, he gradually developed a feeling for the rhythms of language and a talent for precise word choice. He even wrote a few poems.

One of the things I’ve always liked about reading Hallwas is that he can get his point across and show his authority on a subject without resorting to a bunch of fancy-scmanchy big words and convoluted intellectual discourse. He shared how Lincoln touched his listeners with this same skill:

His years of study and work as a lawyer, starting in 1837, also helped to make him a very capable writer and speaker. In court, he repeatedly used reason (for which he had enormous regard) and plain language (which anyone could understand). His spoken and written comments were never artificially literary but always direct and forceful.

Finding more inspiration
Hallwas’s final article, on why the study of Lincoln is still important, talks about the specific value of several new works or works of recent years. Not surprisingly, some of the authors and works who have captured my attention, inspired me and earned my devotion also got good marks in my mentor’s grade book.

I’m currently reading Daniel Mark Epstein’s The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage. Hallwas wrote that Epstein’s book, “…showing how time and adversity can change people, would be a more fascinating read for most book clubs than Doris Kearns Goodwin’s fine book on Lincoln’s cabinet.”

Epstein drew me in and held me tight in the opening pages. I’ve had to set the book aside for a while due to the bicentennial events and other obligations, but you’ll hear why I agree when I’m done reading it. What Hallwas didn’t know when he wrote this is that Epstein is also an engaging speaker and quite personable. I got to hear him and meet him in Springfield. Epstein truly does seem to appreciate his readers as much as they appreciate his work.

As I began my studies of Lincoln, there were others who inspired me – through lectures, answers to my questions or taking time out of their busy schedules to visit with me. Hallwas, too, found value in the work of the following Lincoln scholars who have touched my life.

David Herbert Donald was one of the three-generation panel who gave me advice when the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum opened in 2005. Douglas Wilson of Knox College, in my hometown of Galesburg, has been there for me whenever I’ve needed the answer to a Lincoln question. Though I didn’t get a chance to meet him, Eric Foner’s speech at the Lincoln Bicentennial celebration in Springfield provided a great springboard for my bicentennial week activities. And, when I wanted to learn more about his attraction to Lincoln, Richard Cawardine, the British Lincoln scholar, spent equal time asking me about my own Lincoln interests and providing encouragement.

The life and legacy of Lincoln are an inspiration – to scholars like these, to those who've followed in Lincoln's professions, to politicians like our new President, Barack Obama,and to youngsters of the last couple centuries. Yet, after Hallwas wrote of American’s fascination with Lincoln, he closed his series with the same question I’ve long had.

A more important question for us all, I think, is why some Americans can go through their lives unfascinated by Lincoln, unwilling to read about him, and thus uninfluenced by our most complex and astounding public figure.

Who inspires you?
If you’re reading this blog, you’ve likely been inspired in life by the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. If you’re really lucky, you’ve also been inspired and mentored by someone like John Hallwas. In that case, you’ve been truly blessed.

My Hero essay/artwork contest deadline: March 1
Do you have a hero in your life who represents Abraham Lincoln’s heroic qualities? If so, don’t miss out on the chance to share the story and win a trip to the Land of Lincoln. The deadline for My hero essay contest is March 1, 2009. Not a writer? That doesn’t matter. You can also enter with a work of art. See the website for further details.

See rare Lincoln documents in New York

It's been my very real privilege these past few days to be asked by media relations people at a variety of organizations to help them promote their Lincoln Bicentennial events or exhibits. If you're in the New York City area, you won't want to miss an exhibit which begins on Lincoln's birthday at the New York Historical Society.

The companion book to this exhibit features contributions by some of my favorite Lincoln historians, including two who encourage me in my quest to study and promote Lincoln - Harold Holzer and Richard Carwardine.

Here is the information the society asked me to share:

Rare and important Lincoln manuscripts on display
Abraham Lincoln in His Own Words Is Latest Presentation in theLincoln Year, Commemorating the Bicentennial of the Sixteenth President

A draft of the epoch-making “House Divided” speech, stirring notes for an address against slavery, a telegram encouraging General Ulysses S. Grant at a turning point in the Civil War, and the resolution for the Thirteenth Amendment bearing the President’s signature: These are among the rare and important letters, papers and official documents in Abraham Lincoln’s own hand that will be on display, as the New-York Historical Society presents, in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the exhibition Abraham Lincoln in His Own Words.

Opening on February 12, 2009 (the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth) and remaining on view through July 12, Abraham Lincoln in His Own Words is the latest offering in the Historical Society’s Lincoln Year of exhibitions, lectures, events and public programs commemorating the bicentennial. The Lincoln Year will culminate in the Historical Society’s major exhibition for 2009, Lincoln and New York (opening October 2), for which the distinguished Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer has served as chief historian.

“Nothing matches the immediacy of approaching a great figure through authentic objects,” stated Dr. Louise Mirrer, President and CEO of the New-York Historical Society. “Visitors to Abraham Lincoln in His Own Words will experience this thrill of physical presence, as they view Abraham Lincoln’s life and career in the original, from his period as an attorney and legislator in Illinois through his assassination and its aftermath.”

“As Lincoln begins his third century in American memory, we hope these documents will help illuminate his unique contribution to our country’s history,” stated James G. Basker, President of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

In addition to seeing handwritten public documents by Lincoln, visitors will also encounter his more personal side, in letters to a struggling school friend of his eldest son and to his wife Mary (the latter written days before his death). Also on view are first edition texts, including a signed lithograph of his Emancipation Proclamation, a broadside of his Second Inaugural Address distributed in 1865, and a copy of his First Inaugural Address as published in 1861 in the Chicago Tribune.

Lending dramatic context to these items are a variety of other remarkable period objects, such as photographs, prints, sculptures, testimonies, and more. Visitors will see a cast of Lincoln’s face made in 1860 by sculptor Leonard Volk; a photograph by Alexander Gardner of Lincoln and General McClellan in the field in 1862; a Currier & Ives print of the fall of Richmond in 1865; and a letter of condolence to Mary Todd Lincoln from Frederick Douglass, written in August 1865.

Rounding out the exhibition are the original artists’ models by Daniel Chester French for the Lincoln sculpture commissioned by Lincoln, Nebraska (1911) and for the colossal seated figure at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (1916).

With the exception of the sculptures, all objects in the exhibition are drawn from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, which is on deposit at the New-York Historical Society.

An accompanying illustrated book, Great Lincoln Documents: Historians Present Treasures from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, has been published by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, featuring essays by ten noted historians, including James McPherson, Allen Guelzo, David Blight, Richard Carwardine, and Harold Holzer.

Bicentennial doesn't disappoint

Folks, the Lincoln buff is here in Springfield and the party has begun. Here's what I've been up to the last couple days, and there's ton's more fun to come.

Saturday, Feb, 7 events
I heard I missed some great events. Apparently, there was a wonderful spiritual concert at the Old State Capitol on Saturday night. I ran into a man today who said his wife couldn't stop saying good things about it. I've talked to several, too, who attended Saturday evening's Order of Lincoln award dinner. Apparently, all but a couple of the nominees were able to make it - pretty good considering they were from all over the country and even one from England.

Sunday presentations
I attended two Sunday activities - a lecture by author and Columbia University professor Eric Foner and a panel discussion with Dan Weinberg of the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop in Chicago, along with Judge Frank Williams, Philip Kunhardt III, Louise Taper and Jack Smith.

Foner's lecture was super. This man can boil a complex topic down and make it understandable, and even entertain while he does it. Those who've had him as students are blessed. He talked about the evolution of Lincoln's views on slavery, which is no easy thing to condense, and left me thinking, "If anyone can help me understand reconstruction, Foner can. I need to read his book!"

Foner was doing a book signing, but because of another commitment, I didn't take time to meet him. I regret that, but do hope I get to meet him at the Lincoln Forum Symposium at Gettysburg in the fall.

Collecting Lincoln
Weinberg's panel discussion was really cool. These folks all have incredible Lincoln collections and it was interesting hearing how they all got started and watching the healthy ribbing and rivalry they have. I'll share more about how each of them got started and a little about some of the items they've had an opportunity to own or to pass on to others through the years.

I got to meet all but Smith afterwards. I still say these Lincoln scholars are the warmest, most encouraging folks I've ever met. Yesterday was no exception. I look forward to getting to know these people better as I pursue my Lincoln work.

Monday morning
I had an errand to run before I came to Springfield this morning, so I got down mid-morning. I'd made my birthday card for Lincoln last night and went to the Old State Capitol to drop it off. I forgot the new stamps were issued today - right there! There were two lines inside - one for purchasing the stamps and another for getting the visiting dignitary's autograph. Both wound the length of the inside of the building when I was there shortly before 11 a.m.

I spent the next hour dropping in on some folks in the Old State Capitol area. My first stop was Tingley's Dry Goods Store, a fun little shop down the block from the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices.

From there, I stopped in to see the folks at Looking for Lincoln. They're keeping really busy, opening new wayside exhibits - Mt. Pulaski the other day and Quincy today. And, they're getting ready to host hundreds of fifth graders and other interested guests at the Farewell to Springfield event at the Prairie Convention Center on Wednesday.

I also made my first visit to a legendary Springfield book store, Prairie Archives. I'll devote an entire blog to it someday. This is a place you have to experience with your senses, and it will be worth the wait

After a very nice visit over lunch with a Lincoln scholar friend, I headed to Lincoln's Home for the afternoon. I told you a few weeks ago that they'd gussied the home up for company. The new carpet and wallpaper in the parlor really looks nice, and as I walked the neighborhood, I could see busy little National Park Service beavers getting the grounds in the Lincoln Home neighborhood all spruced up.

This evening's lecture was by Oxford scholar and Lincoln Prize winning author Richard Carwardine, whom I had he pleasure of getting to know better this week. He talked about Lincoln and the world and shared information about an upcoming Lincoln conference in England. I'll share more on that after the bicentennial.

I did meet a couple of really neat people tonight - a member of the Oregon bicentennial commission and Decatur (Ill.) Lincoln presenter Lonn Presnall.

I'll try to fill you in by Wednesday about the Tuesday events i attended. I've got a couple really cool things planned, and tomorrow night I hope to watch Prelude to the Presidency as it airs on PBS here in Springfield. I may even try to twitter again - didn't have much time for it today.

*Forgive me for not putting links in. I'm still trying to learn the laptop. I'll plug some in after the bicentennial events slow down. In the meantime, please google.

The ALPLM and more - Bicentennial activity galore

On an April morning almost three years I got up early, drove to Springfield and waited in line for the opening of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM). The early drive was worth it, as I was seventh in line on the first day the museum opened to paying customers. (Some school groups and other visitors had seen the museum free of charge in the preceding days.)

I drove back and forth for four days in a row that April, taking in as many of the ALPLM opening activities as possible and, believe me, it was worth every mile I drove and every minute I waited in line. The museum was all I’d hoped it would be – and more – and the museum, library and scholarly symposium left a lasting mark on this Lincoln scholar-wannabe. If you haven’t visited yet, what better time than now?

Bicentennial events begin Feb. 7
I’ll make a similar trek again in a couple weeks. The Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, the ALPLM and a number of other organizations and venues in Springfield are joining together to throw one heck of a 200th birthday party for Lincoln. Why not join me? For this party, it’s the more, the merrier!

To learn more about the following events, see the Bicentennial or ALPLM website calendars.

Authors aplenty
You’ll be able to see and hear a who’s who of Lincoln scholars for author discussions and book signings all week. They’re coming from the East Coast, the West Coast and places in between, with a couple of scholars coming all the way from England and Northern Ireland.* The scribes include:

• Bob Burleigh
• Michael Burlingame
• Vernon Burton
• Richard Carwardine
• Catherine Clinton
• David Contosta
• Daniel Mark Epstein
• Eric Foner
• Dan Guillory
• Cheryl Harness
• Daniel Walker Howe
• Charles Hubbard
• Betty Kay
• Karen Kostyal
• Philip Kunhardt
• Bruce Levin
• Russell McClintock
• Edna Green Medford
• Wendell Minor
• Barry Schwartz
• Camesha Scruggs
• Brooks Simpson
• Jack Smith
• Louise Taper
• Wayne Temple
• Elizabeth Varnon
• Jennifer Weber
• Daniel Weinberg
• Judge Frank Williams
• Karen Winnick

Countless celebrations
Springfield will be host to all sorts of birthday celebrations, including:

• First issuance of Lincoln Bicentennial Postage Stamps
• Springfield’s Farewell Address to Lincoln
• Meet Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln
• Now He Belongs to the Ages Overnight Vigil
• Wreath-laying at Lincoln Tomb

Endless exhibits
If you haven’t found anything to interest you yet, how about taking in some of these Springfield exhibits:

• From Humble Beginnings: Lincoln's Illinois
• The Lincoln Project paintings
• Lincoln Portrait in Post-Its
• Lincoln in Illinois sculpture photographs
  

Family fun
I'd wager a bet that if you ask most Lincoln enthusiasts when they became mesmerized by his legacy, they'd say it was as a child, so don't leave the kids at home. There are plenty of family friendly events, such as:

• Children Celebrate: Birthday crafts
• Statewide Reading of The Gettysburg Address
• Children’s Storytelling with Abraham Lincoln
• Children’s Reading Room
• Period Ball
• Mr. Lincoln's Science Fair Free Family Event

A plethora of performances
Want to celebrate with a play or in song? Check out these performances:

• Our American Cousin
• Amazing Grace: A Time of Spirituals
• Program of Spirituals
• One Destiny
• Illinois Symphony Orchestra
• From My Front Porch
• Meet the Lincolns
• The Lincoln Trio
• The Four Sopranos
• Lincoln & Frederick Douglass Emancipation and the Dream of Freedom - From Slavery to the White House
• Music of the Lincoln Era
• Abraham Lincoln: A Biography in Words and Music

These take tickets
Several other events do require reservations and paid tickets. They are:

• Lincoln Academy of Illinois Bicentennial Award Ceremony
• Bicentennial Luncheon
• Abraham Lincoln’s 200th Birthday Party: Abraham Lincoln Association banquet (sold out except overflow seating) with President Barack Obama joining the celebration**

Special thanks to my friends at the ALPLM for an email pulling all this information together in one place so it was easier to list everything here for you. Be sure to vist the Bicentennial and ALPLM websites for times, locations and more.

* Updated Feb. 2, 2009 - My apologies to Catherine Clinton. For some reason, I was thinking she and Richard Carwardine were both in England. I learned just today that Clinton is in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I hope to see both when they speak in Springfield the week of the Bicentennial.

** We learned today President Obama will be joining us. What a special birthday gift for Lincoln!