Lou Del Bianco portrays Abraham Lincoln during program The fifth graders from Stewart and Stratford Schools recently attended veteran actor- storyteller Lou Del Bianco’s portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in Stewart School.

The forty-five minute program is titled “From Rail-splitter to President” and chronicles the life of Lincoln from his humble and impoverished beginnings in Kentucky to his tenure as the country’s 16th President.

Mr. Del Bianco dressed as the President in the trademark black frock coat and stove- pipe hat begins the story of Honest Abe’s life with a description of his birthplace on the prairie. He told the children that he had to get up at 4 am in the morning to help his father on the farm. Most children did not attend school in those days but he attended what was known as a Blab School. A Blab School was a one-roomed schoolhouse where multiple generations of children and adults learned together.

Students enjoyed participating in the program In spite of his impoverished background and lack of resources, Abe Lincoln loved to read and to learn. He spent only 11 months in school but was determined to continue his education. He first encountered the poor treatment of slaves in New Orleans as a young man. He witnessed a slave auction and was appalled at the sight of families being torn apart in this way. In time he qualified as a lawyer and was soon a member of the Illinois State Legislature.

In 1860 he ran for president as the nominee for the Republician Party. He was elected and did everything in his power to avoid the Civil War, to no avail. The American Civil War began in 1861 and continued until 1865 in spite of the Emancipation Act of 1862.

The program ended with President Lincoln (Mr. Del Bianco) about to make the Gettysburg address. The President recalls the needless deaths of thousands of people on both sides of the conflict and asks the children to recite part of the famous Gettysburg address with him. Lincoln’s values, his honesty, thirst for education and sense of justice shine through this presentation by Lou Del Bianco.

This program was coordinated by the Arts in Education Committee of Garden City PTA and the GCUFSD Administration. It was funded by the Garden City Union Free School District.