Lanthorn.com

Long-dead presidents spend day in GR

By Susie Skowronek GVL Laker Life Editor
9/16/2009

One does not often see historical figures not only resurrected, but in prime condition for performance. In a Constitution Day celebration, the presidents depicted on Mount Rushmore will gather at the East Grand Rapids High School Auditorium to re-create history.

The Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies, the Gerald R. Ford Foundation and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum will host Rushmore Live at 7 p.m. today.

Dean Malissa, Bill Barker, Jim Getty and Jim Foote have 10 to 30 years of experience impersonating George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. They have appeared on broadcast television, the Discovery Channel, the History Channel and the Colbert Report.

"These character interpreters bring real passion to their work and because of that they make history come alive," said Gleaves Whitney, director of the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies. "There is no excuse for boring history book, history article or history lecture. These four character interpreters understand that."

The character interpreters will educate the audience on some of America's most prominent citizens, Whitney added.

"We will come away - through the interaction of these four - knowing things that will help students become better leaders," Whitney said. "They will understand better the society they are trying to lead and change if they understand history better."

Congress has mandated each institute of higher learning celebrate Constitution Day. The Hauenstein Center chose to bring history to life with the Mount Rushmore presidents.

"To know how to shape the society in which they work, students have to know something about traditions and freedoms, which each president in his own way illuminates - struggles America has gone through to become a significant nation on the world stage," Whitney said. "There is a direct connection between learning heritage from historians and leading society tomorrow."

Students will have an opportunity to ask the character interpreters questions.

"If I knew something specific, I would want to ask and trick him," said junior Jenna Lee. "I would ask how they feel about our current political situation."

Lee said she thinks the performance is especially relevant for Constitution Day. The former presidents helped form the country, and one of the four - Thomas Jefferson - even signed the Constitution.

"I wish we knew more about the presidents," Less added. "It's important to know about history to vote on current presidents and policies."

The Hauenstein Center hosts a Constitution Day celebration each September to honor the framers of the document and to help educate students about their responsibilities as citizens.

Last year, the presentation focused on immigration, a key debate in the 2008 presidential election.

Knowledge of presidential history is imperative to understand current politics, said Dr. Paul Cornish, professor of political science.

Policy makers provide arguments based on analogies to past historical events. Political scientists attempt to make comparisons between the Great Depression and the fall of 2008.

"Students seem to have self-doubt about their understanding of politics," Cornish said. "But students in my classes don't strike me as uninformed about the past. A lot of them just don't know about specific events."

Whitney said he guarantees students will discover aspects of history they have never seen before.

"West Michigan is in for a first-rate event," Whitney said. "These character interpreters combine a love of history with a knowledge of 'their' president. This is probably the first that ... these presidents will have had the opportunity to debate the toughest issues our nation has faced. And you can count on them doing it with humor, grace and expertise."

To RSVP for the event, visit http://www.gvsu.edu/hauenstein. Registered participants will have an opportunity to attend a small reception beforehand.

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