Mayville, N.Y.
Every year there is the Memorial Day Parade, starting in town and goes down the big hill to end at the cemetery.
The best part, as a 10 year old kid, was the free ice cream afterwards in the park next to the fountain with the boy and girl statutes under their umbrella.
Well, that year someone thought it would be a good idea to have me recite from memory The Gettysburg Address. Not a long thing to remember, just read it out loud 50 times and there you go.
So 3 weeks short of my 11th birthday, I stand before several hundred people when it was my turn to speak. Looking upon all the faces looking at me, after they had heard fron many previous speakers, mostly veterans and elected officials, I knew they listened to them, then here I am, a little kid, having to say something that President Abraham Lincoln said, which at that time was 99 years ago.
This all of a sudden in an instant seemed to me clearly to be a turning point mile stone. Either do it right or stumble and embarrassingly mess it up. So I began, and after what seemed like an eternity it was over. I did it. And rather well too I was told.
Looking back, that day set my assertive personality.
But at that time the best part was the free ice cream.
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