Honestly, he's not Abe: Wooster man portrays 16th president of U.S., gives speeches about his life.

Publication: Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, OH)

Byline: Jim Carney

Feb. 20--Abraham Lincoln is alive and well and living in Wooster. His real name is Pete Raymond. In 1999, the retired warehouse manager started studying Lincoln. The 71-year-old read up on him for a year before making his first presentation as Lincoln at Lincoln Days at Hodgenville, Ky., birthplace of the 16th president. In a good year, he'll do 200 Lincoln presentations. Q: How did you get started doing Lincoln impersonations and speeches? A: I entered an Abraham Lincoln Beard Contest in 1976 at Wayne County's Bicentennial Celebration. I won that contest with a beard that I had been wearing for years. My wife encouraged me many times to learn about Lincoln and go into schools, but it didn't "take" till 1999. My barber told me I looked more like Lincoln than any others he'd seen on TV or in magazines.

Q: How far have you traveled to do Abe? Please see Abe, B4

Abe Wooster Rotary Club to hear presenter today Continued from Page B1 A: All over Ohio, to Michigan, West Virginia, Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and New England. Q: What would Abe Lincoln think about 2006? A: No comment. Q: Do you wear the beard the way Lincoln does year round? A: Yes. Q: Do people stop you in public and ask you about Lincoln? A: That's the fun part! I don't go anywhere without causing a stir. My license plate reads ITS ABE and people take pictures as they go by the second time. Strangers approach me in restaurants and say, "I don't want to embarrass you, but do you know you look like Abraham Lincoln?" I smile and nod, then hand them my card. Some just say, "Good evening, Mr. President." Q: Is there something that you learned about Lincoln while researching him that most people don't know? A: He stated and believed that "your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other thing." Q: Why is Lincoln such an important figure?

A: He rose from nothing and educated himself to become an outstanding lawyer and legislator of his time. He is known for his leadership, his honesty and his iron will. He preserved the American union, believing that self-government would be proved a failure if the nation could be destroyed by a minority of its own people. Q: Could Lincoln be elected today in a television and 24/7 cable age? A: Lincoln faced the media in his day, which was the newspapers. At times, they were very critical of the way he ran the war. I believe with his honesty and his ability to communicate, he could be elected today. Q: Did Lincoln ever visit Northeast Ohio, other than on the funeral train that went from Cleveland to Columbus? A: I have been told he visited Hanoverton, Ohio, in Columbiana County, and made a speech in the building which is today the Spread Eagle Tavern and Inn. Q: What will you be doing this Presidents Day? A: I'll be speaking locally to the Wooster Rotary Club at their luncheon meeting. Q: What do you consider to be the best biography written about Lincoln? A: I have two favorites: Abraham Lincoln, the Prairie Years and the War Years by Carl Sandburg and Lincoln by David Herbert Donald. I have quite a library accumulated, but I turn to these most often. Q: Do you have a favorite quote from Lincoln? A: "My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure." Jim Carney can be reached at 330-996-3576 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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