A man like Abraham Lincoln comes around once every 500 years, according to local historian Maureen Esther.
Or maybe fewer, Esther told Clarkston Community Historical Society at a presentation this past Thursday at Independence Township Library.
Esther explained how President Lincoln and newly elected President Barack Obama are similar. Not only did Obama hold the same seat in the senate as Lincoln, but also made his bid for presidency in Springfield, Illinois, which Esther thought was ‘very poignant.?
‘Also I find it interesting, historically, if Obama is elected for a second term, he will be the president 150 years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, which was in 1863,? she said.
Esther said both men took office during times of crisis, when the nation was in need of great restoration.
‘To volunteer for something like that, Obama knew what he was getting into. He already knew we were embroiled in a war, and of course Abraham Lincoln too. Here he volunteers for the presidency at a time when he knows it’s going to explode,? she said. ‘There are very few people who would take on that kind of responsibility, so I think you have to have a person who has a certain degree of looking into the future.?
Esther said Lincoln has a very ‘positive persona,? even in other countries. A number of years ago, while visiting Russia, she gave her Civil War presentation to a class of Russian students.
‘The minute I put up Abraham Lincoln’s picture, they all sat up straight in their chairs. And I asked the teacher why. She said ‘You Americans don’t understand. We hold him in extremely high esteem over here. We read everything that we can possibly get our hands on about Abraham Lincoln,?? said Esther. ‘Lincoln is not just a hero for us. He is a hero for humanity.?
She sees Obama the same way.
‘There is so much excitement around the world about this man who is our president now, that whole thing of not being confined to borders and to nations,? she said. ‘People like Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama really do transcend that idea of border.?
Esther said Lincoln took a large step when he elected ‘his rivals? to be part of his cabinet.
‘Abraham Lincoln took that whole monarchy idea of ‘yes men? and said ‘No I want to hear the other side. I value these men. I know what they are as rivals, I know that they’re very honest and they’re very forthright and they’re going to tell me exactly what I need here and not necessarily what I want to hear,?? she said. ‘That’s a really high level of thinking.?
She too has seen steps from Obama, trying to bridge the gap of bipartisanship between Democrats and Republicans. But the stability of both men, Esther says, comes from their ‘strong wives? and family structure.
‘Lincoln did have a strong family life,? she said. ‘He spent time with his kids. He touched base with that human foundation of family, which is so extremely important.?
She noted how President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama bought a new swing set and placed in on the White House lawn, where the president could watch his girls play from the Oval Office.
‘Again, that might seem like a simple thing, but it keeps him grounded, the fact they have dinner together every night and they’re insisting their children try and have some sort of normal life,? said Esther. ‘This whole concept of family really seems to be back in the White House.?
She said the thing she admires most about Lincoln was his ability to keep his cool and ‘see past the immediate.?
‘He was attacked politically, he was attacked personally, and he was attacked professionally. We don’t realize just how much criticism he had shouldered while he was president. There were plenty of people who didn’t have any confidence in him at all,? she said. ‘Yet he never bit back. He was always firm and let it all run around him, but knew this was the path he needed to take. He was very forthright and I think that’s what got us through the Civil War.?
Esther’s interest in history came from childhood.
‘My dad was hobby historian. He did a tremendous amount of reading,? she said. ‘Lincoln was one of his specialties.?
When he passed away, she inherited his Lincoln library, but never did anything with it until recently.
Esther received her associate degree from Macomb Community College and from there she went on to the University of Michigan, but never received her bachelor’s degree.
‘I’m about 20 credit hours away from that,? she said. ‘I don’t need a piece of paper anymore, but I did get married.?
She has been married to her husband William for 31 years. They have two children Matteo, 26 and Daniel, 24.
‘I’m so proud of both they are really good young men,? she said.
After getting married, she worked for a neurosurgeon’s office for 23 years, but because her children were young, she wanted to be a stay at home mom and opened a Medical Office Management (MOM) office out of her home.
Esther got into history telling 19 years ago when her children were at Baldwin Elementary in Rochester Hills. They asked for parent volunteers to talk to students about art and history. After doing it once, she fell in love with it and game presentations throughout their elementary, middle school, and high school years.
Esther speaks on a variety of topics including Lincoln, Civil War, and art at the Detroit Institue of Art. She now focuses on Titanic history, which she said will take some studying before she is ready to present it.
Her next presentation, on the Civil War, will be March 9 at Meadowbrook Hall Mansion from 7:00-8:30. For more information, call Meadowbrook at 248-364-6263 or call Esther at 248-652-0555.