Lincoln High School - Ahdawagam Yearbook (Wisconsin Rapids, WI)

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Left: Abe is lifted onto his new residence by the capable hands of Gus Mancuso, Roy Peterson and Norman Schultz. Below: Norman Schultz, Dennis Austin and Peter Schneider get ready to enclose Lincoln into his place of honor. Lincoln Statue Traced Back To 1903 The rededication of the seven-foot statue of Abraham Lincoln on Lincoln Day, Sunday, February 12, raised ques- tions about its origin. Assistant principal Roy Peterson started the journey through time, trying to trace the age of Abe. As word spread that the age of the statue was unknown, others took interest. Kurt Bushman, a senior, started an in-depth study one week before Lincoln Day. Bushman and Theresa Tomczyk, also a senior, paged through old Ahdawagams and made telephone calls to past school board members, faculty, and students. “Once the first phone calls were made, others called to fill me in on information they remem- bered,'' stated Bushman. “It is not easy to scan through seventy-one years worth of annuals within a few days,’’ expressed Tomczyk. Bushman received the help of Tri- bune writer Dave Engels. Engels be- came interested in the statue after Bushman contacted him about infor- mation. Bushman also asked for infor- mation on Arnie St rope's Kaffee Klatsch, a program on WFHR. Progress on dating the origin was made as each day passed. “Overnight the statue jumped five years backward in the time from 1924 to 1919,” recalled Bushman. On Tuesday of that week, Bushman received the phone call which he had hoped for. The caller said the statue arrived when the school was built in 1902-1903. The statue was in bad shape when it was removed from many years of stor- age. Under the supervision of instruc- tor Bill Karberg, Chuck Breitenstein and Steve Johnson patched holes, re- paired cracks, sanded down the stat- ue, and then primed and painted the statue. After one week of work, the statue was ready to be placed in the display case built by Norman Schultz. The statue looked like new after the job was done. “The restoration was well done. It looks better than it did in ’55, commented Ralph Lau, a visitor during Lincoln Day. Ardean Clark, an- other visitor, also expressed her feel- ing, “I’m glad Mr. Lincoln is back to normal.” The statue has survived being trans- ferred into two different schools and the loss of its head to seniors many times during its eighty-one years. It now rests behind glass and under lights by the front entrance of the school. Bushman expressed, “People visiting can see this wonderful mark of time and those who pass by Abe day to day will remember him a long time.” Lincoln Day 19

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Lincoln Day Below: In preparation for Lincoln Day. Eileen Brey prepares the staff posters. Bottom left: Go- ing over last minute details. Timothy Laatsch prepares the audience for the unveiling of Abe. Bottom Center: A smiling Jane Junk steps for- ward to unveil the restored Abe Lincoln. Mrs. Junk received the honor because her father was the well-known Aaron Ritchay who was principal of the “Old Lincoln from 1931 to 1963. Top right: Coordinator of Lincoln Day, Shari Marsden, along with Jane Junk, cuts one of the seven flat cakes that was eaten. Middle right: Norman Schultz and Marvin Kerhberg begin final preparations on the 8V2' case built entirely by Schultz. 18 Lincoln Day

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Reflections of the old and new. Below: 1984 grad- uate Penny Sonheim talks with Ann Lund- quiet Oakes, a 1924 graduate of the original Lin- coln building. Oakes said. 'I remember Old Abe well. It 's a delight to come back to Lincoln. From a family of five. I was the only one who had the opportunity to go to high school.” Right: The new symbol of LHS reflects on the glass protecting Abe. the old symbol of Lincoln. The return of the statue was planned for with the inclusion of space in the design of the new school. Bottom left: Opening the day 's activities. Jean Hellner and Dan Osinski accompany Rich Tyznik during the Jazz Ensemble performance. Bottom middle: Demonstrating welding skills. Chuck Breiten- stein works on his metal sculpture of a twelve foot dragon which was accepted for the 1984 Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's Seventh Annual Student Art Exhibition. Bottom right: While Chris Belknap gives directions, her dad. George, and younger sister. Holly, drive behind the wheel of a simulator. 20 Lincoln Day