Mark Dewalt a Lincoln Scholar Like No Other

Education Professor Mark Dewalt has spent his life learning about and sharing stories of Abraham Lincoln.

“My mom would decorate our house for all the holidays and the birthdays of Lincoln and Washington,” Dewalt said, adding that a high school Civil War course further sparked his interest. He has since read extensively on Lincoln, considered by scholars to be one of America’s greatest presidents.

This year, when Dewalt visits area classrooms dressed as Lincoln and lectures on the 16th president, he will take along an activity book for the children. In his presentation Dewalt tells students about how they can learn from Lincoln – such as his love of reading and learning about new subjects through books, making hard decisions for the good of America, and growing from the hard times the country faces.

He and three graduate students spent a year designing the 56-page coloring and activity book for first- through fourth-grade students. “We wanted to create something that the students could have as their own,” said Dewalt.

The book, “The Life and Times of Abe Lincoln,” also helps celebrate the 200th birthday of Lincoln on Feb. 12.

It contains crossword puzzles, connect the dots, encrypted messages and other activities. Artist Merrissa Ritch `08 created pictures from Lincoln’s time for students to color. Assisting on the year-long project were Jennifer Brown `08, a kindergarten teacher in Johnson City, Tenn., and Jessica Conley ’08, a school counselor at Graham Middle School in Charlotte, N.C.

Initial costs for creating and printing 2,000 books came from the Bank of America endowment and an anonymous donor. Dewalt, the current Bank of America endowed professor for the Richard W. Riley College of Education, has taken orders for the $2 activity book from schools in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. He plans to use payments to print additional copies.

Another book is underway featuring Thomas Jefferson. The development team will include Ritch as the artist and two new graduate students, Jennifer Fowler of Eastanollee, Ga., and Ginny Ramirez-Del Toro of Durham, N.C. Future book ideas include African-American baseball player Jackie Robinson, and American Red Cross founder Clara Barton.