This Fresno veteran has honored Abraham Lincoln’s legacy for over 26 years

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) -A Fresno man has been playing the part of President Abraham Lincoln for the past 26 years, telling the 16th President’s story to people across the country.

But the man beneath the top hat has an incredible story himself.

82-year-old Wayne L. Scott says he found out he was a relative of the late President by chance. He started impersonating him and learning everything he could about Lincoln following a long life as a police officer, a teacher and a veteran.

“I never considered myself a public speaker,” Scott said. “I started portraying him at the behest of my daughter – fathers know that, daughters, have you wrapped around their little finger.”

Scott says while in Adams County, Ohio with his nephew looking for historical records of his great-grandfather, he found out he was related to Lincoln. Inspired by the connection, he jumped into Lincoln’s history, studying for a year before taking his performances on the road.

The presentations started as appearances at Civil War reenactments throughout the state. Then Scott says the performances evolved into presentations for every audience imaginable: from grade schools to retirement homes.

“A lot of my presentations, of course, I do schools,” Scott says. “Grade schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges, seminars – and it goes on and on and on.”

In 2023, Scott says he had the privilege of delivering the Gettysburg Address in front of the Lincoln Memorial – a performance he calls the experience of a lifetime.

“It was cold, it was very windy, and my coat was blowing out behind me like Superman’s cape,” Scott said. “I had about 400 people on the steps for me. I had to really project. The next day, for the next three or four days, I had no voice.”

Despite losing his voice, Scott says the moment wasn’t about him: it was about honoring Lincoln’s words and those in attendance.

“I was touched, and I was reverent about it, but the show must go on,” Scott said. “I had to do my thing and not be overpowered by the circumstance of where I was.”

According to Scott, the Lincoln performances have left a mark on his life that at times can blur the lines between Wayne Scott and Abraham Lincoln.

“I was 56 when I started doing this 26 years ago. I’m 82 now or something like that. But I think I know more about him than I know about me,” Scott said. ” I try to emulate the good that Lincoln thought and the good that Lincoln did – I’m a better man for it.”

As he looks back on nearly three decades of bringing Lincoln’s legacy to life, Scott says he only wishes he had more time to continue sharing his story.

“I just wish I had more time to share more of Lincoln’s story with the public,” Scott said. “People who don’t understand their history are doomed to repeat it.”