Patriotic music filled the Engleman Elementary School gymnasium Tuesday as a tall man with a long, thin face and a top hat prepared to speak to students about his life, beginning in 1809.

Well, not exactly. Homer S. Sewell III of Jasper, Ga., looked so much like Abe Lincoln, however, that his presentation began with a disclaimer:

"I'm not the real Abe Lincoln. I would have been 191 years old last month," he said, laughing as the students strained their necks to see the man who would recount the history of Lincoln's life leading up to his presidency.

Sewell's portrayal of Lincoln has taken him to 46 states in 24 years, making Tuesday's stop his 1,890th, he said. He regularly travels to schools, churches, synagogues, temples and conventions and actually worked in the White House Communications Agency during the Johnson administration.

"Is everybody ready to step back into history?" he asked the gymnasium full of students as he began talking about the first 10 years of Lincoln's life.

The most significant part of those early years was learning how to read, which Sewell used as a diversion to give the students a piece of advice:

"I hope you keep your librarian so busy that she has to get 10 people to help her hand out all those books," he said. "Sit with a good book instead of that box with the pictures on it. TV doesn't help one single bit."

When Lincoln was 19, he was asked to take a 1,000-mile boat trip to New Orleans to sell produce and other products, including live pigs, Sewell said. On the way, his boat almost sunk and a group of pirates tried to steal the goods.

If it meant holding hands, Engleman 4th graders Laura Wirth and Greg Saunders (right) were reluctant to recreate events at Ford Theater the night Abe Lincoln was assassinated. Wirth was playing Mary Lincoln and Saunders was playing Abe Lincoln in the reenactment. According to Homer S. Sewell III, when Abe took Mary's hand that night at the theater, she told him not to because people might see them. In what turned out to be Abe Lincoln's last words before his death moments later, Abe replied, "It doesn't really matter."

"When you get older, life doesn't always deal you a straight road," he told the students. "You may have to do some zigzagging, but never give up. There is no limit to what you can do with your lives."

But Sewell was definite about what students shouldn't do.

"I promise that I will always say no to drugs, alcohol, tobacco and youth violence," the students all said in unison.

After moving out on his own at the age of 22, Lincoln held a variety of positions including working at a general store. After selling some tea to a customer, he realized he had accidentally shorted her a penny.

"Now, what do you think Abe should do?" Sewell asked the students. "Put the penny in his pocket, give Miss Hildy back her penny or deliver the extra tea to her?"

After Lincoln corrected the error, word got around town about how honest he was, thus the nickname "Honest Abe," Sewell said.

Lincoln would go on to use that trait in his work as a lawyer and politician, which concluded with his role as the 16th U.S. president.

"When your teachers ask you to get up in front of the class, it doesn't matter how long you're up there," he told the students after repeating Lincoln's two-minute, 22-second "Gettysburg Address." "What you say matters."

Sewell concluded his presentation with the following:

"Be a dreamer, a stargazer, a rainbow-chaser and soar with the eagles. Don't ever give up!"