Men of Character : Lincoln Impersonators Uphold Presidential Virtues

There’s never been a better time to be Abraham Lincoln.

This morning, John Kendall will groom his Quaker-style beard, brush off his stovepipe hat and drive to his dream job: posing as Honest Abe at schools throughout the Southland. He’s been earning a respectable living this way for three years.

“There’s no comparison between being a boring bean counter versus the president of the United States,” said the 41-year-old former accountant from Laguna Hills who bears a striking resemblance to the rawboned, gangly president.

“But there’s some differences. I can’t walk into a bar, and if someone cuts me off in traffic, I can’t flip them off because it’s Abe doing it and I don’t want to reflect badly on the man.”

Today, 188 years after Lincoln’s birth in a log cabin, Kendall and fellow impersonators across the nation are perhaps the most intense and unusual expressions of a following built around the beloved president.

Even as other national historical figures wither under revisionist fire, Lincoln’s venerated standing among academics and the public has remained largely unscathed.

“The more people become disillusioned with government, the more popular Lincoln and his impersonators will become,” said Mark Gottdiener, a sociology professor at State University of New York at Buffalo. “Lincoln is revered for having real integrity, something typically in short supply in government.”

Indeed, the nation’s first assassinated president continues to inspire an unprecedented amount of attention, admiration and accolades.

In addition to scores of exhibits, museums and shrines, Lincoln’s legacy has produced more than 16,000 books and on average produces a new volume every week. In fact, the only person in Western civilization to command more titles is Jesus.

A recent poll of the nation’s leading historians by Arthur Schlesinger Jr. again ranked Lincoln No. 1 among U.S. presidents. Public surveys through the decades almost always show the same results, say historians.

And, in a pop culture society, the best measure of Lincoln’s stature today is probably that only the king of rock ‘n’ roll has more impersonators than the 16th president. Yet that’s a distinction the Lincoln look-alikes could do without.

“We are next to Elvis, but frankly I don’t like the comparison,” said Dan Bassuk, a retired literature professor from New Jersey who founded the Assn. of Lincoln Presenters. “What we do goes way beyond impersonating.”

The group’s path to the Great Emancipator began in 1990 when Bassuk formed a presenters union. About 40 responded to a newspaper ad, and dedicated themselves to promoting and preserving Lincoln’s memory.

“I just felt like it was time to link the Lincolns,” he said. “This can be solitary work. It helps to have the encouragement of others.”

Since then, the number of presenters has more than doubled within the nonprofit organization, which also admits Mary Todd Lincoln presenters and non-impersonating patrons to its ranks. The group, which publishes a newsletter called “Lincarnations,” boasts about 200 members.

Three years ago, the presenters began holding annual conventions where the Lincolns could share their passion. This April, Gettysburg will host the Lincoln legions with sessions on such topics as “Liberating the Latent Lincoln” and “Thrifty Lincoln: Performing With Tax Free Advantage.”

At last year’s convention in Springfield, Ill., where the Rail Splitter is entombed, the sight of multiple Lincolns roaming the streets astonished residents. People abandoned their cars at busy intersections to snap a photo or to snag an autograph.

The spectacle also prompted a slew of wisecracks. One woman asked if the event was “a homely man’s convention,” while a local newspaper dubbed the scene: “Planet of the Abes.”

Presenters regard the conventions as the highlight of their year--save for the unmitigated splendor of Feb. 12. Like children before Christmas, presenters literally count down the days to Lincoln’s birthday.

“It’s one of those glorious days when all 89 Abraham Lincolns are working,” said Bassuk, who will go only to schools named after Lincoln on the birthday. “It’s our most special day.”

But the glory doesn’t come without sacrifice. It takes more than growing a funny-looking beard and wearing a funny-looking hat to succeed.

Most presenters are older than 55 and can run into trouble making salty hair match Abe’s black mane.

“Some of these guys dye their own hair, and it looks lousy,” said Alta Loma resident Charles Brame, winner of the group’s “Most Noteworthy Abraham Lincoln 1996” award. “We need help on grooming, I’ll tell you that.”

And if a presenter isn’t well-studied, Abe can end up looking pretty ugly. Presenter William T. Peck of San Diego still cringes when recalling a novice’s rendition of the Gettysburg Address--normally a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

“He got lost two or three times. He had to start over. It was so embarrassing,” said Peck, 67, a Superior Court clerk. “I told him not to play Lincoln again until he’d done his homework.”

It’s Lincoln’s legendary integrity that attracts many school and church groups to book the presenters. California Elementary School in Costa Mesa invited Kendall on campus last month because Honest Abe is seen as one of the nation’s best role models.

“We want to focus on things that build character,” said Patty Christiansen, the school’s PTA president. “It’s good for the students to hear that Abe walked two miles to return 6 cents.”