BUENA PARK : Bringing to Life Legacy of Lincoln

In a black felt-trimmed jacket, top hat and Quaker beard, Charles Brame stood before 200 youngsters and proclaimed, “Well, I’m Abe Lincoln, your 16th President!”

Brame, 68, a retired schoolteacher and working Abraham Lincoln look-alike, performed “The Living Lincoln” at Arthur F. Corey Elementary School in Buena Park on Friday morning, one of his many engagements in county schools observing Presidents Day this month.

In front of the 9- and 10-year-olds, Brame assumed the character of Lincoln at age 56. He told personal, first-person anecdotes, recounting, for example, how he had become smitten with his wife at a dance.

“She even speaks French, and there I was, a country hick!” he exclaimed.

Of his professional life, he said, “I want you to know being President ain’t what it’s cooked up to be. I’ve been very, very busy,” dealing with the Civil War, which he called one of history’s bloodiest.

Brame pulled dramatic faces as he strode back and forth, crying into a red kerchief when he talked about his sad experiences, slapping his legs with mirth over amusing stories. The students sat on the floor quietly paying attention, rushing to shake his hand and ask questions when his hourlong performance ended.

Brame researched and wrote the monologue and began performing it 18 years ago. Each show is slightly different because he tailors the drama to suit different age groups.

Brame’s costume is also tailored to be appropriate for Lincoln’s era. He went to a seamstress to have an authentic notch-collared vest made, topped it with a black jacket and accented it with a pocket watch.

His home-grown Quaker beard is shaved off his cheeks at the jawline. To complete the effect, he wears elevator boots that bring him up to Lincoln’s 6-foot-4 height and adds color to his hair.

The costume was convincing enough that one student asked, “Are you the real Lincoln or the fake Lincoln?”

Brame, who taught school for 33 years, has a master’s degree in history from the University of Missouri at Columbia. He has performed about 2,300 times, sometimes as many as four shows a day in February. He charges about $250 for performances at schools and more for shows before private groups.

When Lincoln is out of season, Brame, of Alta Loma in San Bernardino County, sends out brochures, arranges performance dates, and spends time with his wife, four daughters and four grandchildren. But, he said, “I thrive on the work.”

He often cannot separate himself from it. Because of his physical resemblance to Lincoln, even when out of costume Brame is approached on the streets year-round, he said.