my whole life was a parking lot with a boulder dedicated by teddy roosevelt and rich solkum said at the coffee shop we can do better. a group assembled and we turned that into over an acre of green space and a life size statue of lincoln and douglas in debate. >> to set the stage for people in 1994 c-span went to all the towns in illinois that originally hosted the lincoln douglas debates and asked if the towns put on the debates we'll bring the cameras and televise the debates. how many debates did you play lincoln? >> two of the seven, freeport and jones borrow. >> what preparation did you need to do? >> the essential question that gnawed and gnawed and still gnaws, who were lincoln, who were douglas and why was that so pivotal? you have to get right with lincoln according to senator paul simon. i did my very best. >> is portraying lincoln a full-time job for you? >> is it now. >> was it for most of the years you did it? >> as things could be scheduled. that was all word of mouth. marketing and such. that could work into other travel schedules and it was far enough in advance that it