News Release

Make History Come Alive with Abraham Lincoln!

Date: January 7, 2013

Contact(s): Clayton Calder
Phone number: [phone]

Topeka, KS - This month marks the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. With the stroke of pen, President Abraham Lincoln in January 1863 altered the course of history during the Civil War by expanding his administration's war aims to eventually include emancipation of the nation's four million enslaved African Americans. Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site will commemorate this historic anniversary on January 8, 2013, at 7 p.m. with a first-person portrayal of Abraham Lincoln. The event is free and open to the public.

Portraying President Lincoln will be Richard "Fritz" Klein of Springfield, Illinois who traveled Abraham Lincoln's famous 12-day inaugural journey during a National Park Service sponsored tour in February of 2011. Considered one of the nation's foremost Lincoln actors, Klein makes Lincoln and his period of history come alive. The first time he was asked to portray Abraham Lincoln was in 1976 at a municipal celebration of the nation's bicentennial. He began acting full-time in 1980. Since then, the role has taken him to some 35 states for film and television, on stage, and as a motivational speaker. He now resides in Springfield, Illinois with his wife and family, where he performs for some of the city's 500,000 annual visitors. From there he also travels to points across the nation on tours and by special invitation.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site tells the story of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended legal segregation in public schools. The site is located at 1515 SE Monroe Street in Topeka, Kansas, and is open free of charge from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with the exceptions of Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1. For more information call [phone] or visit www.nps.gov/brvb and www.facebook.com/brownvboardnps.