The DeKalb Public Library was visited by Mary Todd Lincoln on Monday night.

Valerie Gugala of Bartlett portrayed Mary Todd Lincoln, and she has been playing the part for nearly a decade.

“About 10 years ago, I put up a Web site about Mary Todd Lincoln, and a man who portrays Abraham called me and asked if I had ever considered portraying Mary Lincoln,” Gugala said.

Gugala has an extensive background in the Lincoln history.

“I knew the Gettysburg Address by heart at the age of six,” Gugala said.
Gugala also commented how it is interesting that a lot of people learn more about the Lincolns after they “fall into portraying them.”

“It was really easy for me,” Gugala said. “I just had to get the clothes.”

Adorned in time-appropriate garb, Gugala tells the story of the early life of Mary Todd, as well as the early years of her marriage to Abraham, without a script to make it sound more conversational.

The information in the stories differs from presentation to presentation; however, the focus is always on the earlier years of the lives of the Lincolns.

“I focus a lot on their early life because that’s what a lot of people don’t know about,” Gugala said.

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