Honest Abe visits Davis Magnet School

Students at Davis Magnet School in Costa Mesa got a living history lesson Wednesday from a man who was the spitting image of Abraham Lincoln.

The 16th president — or at least a very close approximation played by Lincoln impersonator Robert Broski — surprised the children outside the school and led them through the pledge of allegiance at the flag.

Afterward, students in kindergarten through third-grade gathered in the auditorium to hear about Lincoln’s early childhood in Kentucky and Indiana. The faux Lincoln described how “Honest Abe” loved to read. Lincoln would pore over the few books his family possessed, educating himself.

Thursday is Lincoln’s birthday, a public holiday. The school PTA paid $250 for the unconventional lesson to celebrate the day, according to event organizer Barry Friedland, a Davis parent.

“Did you know tomorrow is my birthday?” the Lincoln impersonator said.

“I grew up in a log cabin,” he said, showing a toy replica of a log cabin. He said his childhood home had a dirt floor until his stepmother, Sarah Bush Lincoln, demanded a wood floor.

“Does anyone know what this house is made of?” he asked.

“Lincoln logs,” the children shouted.

First-grader Cole DePriest said he liked hearing about Lincoln’s childhood. But when he first spied the Lincoln impersonator, the 7-year-old said he couldn’t believe his eyes.

Cole leaned in and whispered, “I thought he was a ghost.”

When the children were permitted to question the “president,” one asked, “Did you get shot?”

“Yes, yes I was,” was the reply. “I was the first president to be assassinated. What’s that all about?” he quipped.

Mindy Lemoine, who teaches first grade, said the event built on what she has been teaching in the classroom. She said her students have read books about Lincoln and drawn pictures of him.

“It’s a really neat experience for the kids,” she said.