By Edward Epstein
Washington, D.C.
May 26, 2022
The Lincoln Group was thrilled with our program celebrating the 100th birthday of the Lincoln Memorial -- the big turnout, the moving and thought-provoking talks, the entertainment and the good fellowship.
Pictures are worth a lot of words, so here are some photos highlighting the great day on Sunday, May 22.
One of co-sponsors, the National Park Service, set out 400 chairs (above) for the event and the seats were mostly filled during the proceedings, although some people moved around on what turned out to be a sunny, hot day. The photo was taken by our friend Bruce Guthrie, at bguthriephotos.com. And while our program was going on, the memorial was being visited by a steady stream of people, showing why the Lincoln Memorial is the most visited memorial in the nation's capital. It has about eight million visitors a year, the park service says. It is open all day, every day.
Lincoln Group members were out early and in force. In the photo at left, taken by Ed Epstein, Howard University historian and group member Edna Greene Medford goes over the text of her talk while groupers Michelle Krowl and Rod Ross chat.
Frank Smith of the African-American Civil War Museum in Washington, a frequent program collaborator with the Lincoln Group, was among the speakers. The museum, at U Street and Vermont Avenue in northwest Washington, is well worth a visit. (Photo by Henry Ballone for the Lincoln Forum, which also co-sponsored the program.)
Smith brought along a group of reenactors showing African-American life in the Civil War era, including a few representatives of the U.S. Colored Troops. Incidentally, the solider reenactors said their woolen uniforms aren't as hot as they look.
The lucky woman in the group is the one holding a parasol, perfect protection on what was a sultry day. (Photo by Bruce Guthrie.)
Music was provided by the "The President's Own" Brass Quintet from the United States Marine Band. That's professor Medford in pink at the speaker's dais in the background.
(Photo by Guthrie)
Our president David Kent, below, did a great job emceeing the event, although he admitted afterwards that the heat and the sun were draining.
(Photo by Henry Ballone.)
The event was scheduled to last two hours and amazingly it came in at just under that.
See you all in another 100 years!