April 15, 1998

Gettysburg gets teens dinner with gov

      By Garret Leiva
      Herald staff writer

      Some contest winners receive free T-shirts. Others more fortunate get appliances or vacations. Few, however, win a dinner date with the governor.
      But, then again, Claire Pixley and Megan Goff are far from your typical prize-winners. These two East Junior High School students did not twist off any bottle caps or peel back any game pieces to win their dinner with John Engler.
      Instead, the ninth-graders earned their seats because their essays were selected as winners in the Lincoln Day Committee's Gettysburg Address contest. They dined with the governor during the Grand Traverse Republican Committee Lincoln Day Dinner last Tuesday at the Waterfront Inn Conference Center.
      As honored dinner guests, Pixley and Goff hobnobbed with Engler and other political dignitaries, including Lt. Gov. Connie Binsfield, Sen. George McManus and Rep. Michelle McManus. The girls and their families also got a chance to pose with Engler for pictures, which the governor later autographed.
      Getting the choice seats was not easy. Winners were selected from 153 entrants who wrote a modern interpretation of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and its social relevance in today's society. Essays were judged on a number of criteria, including word length, content and clarity of thought, said Diane DeHaven, vice chairwoman of the Grand Traverse Republican Committee.
      Wading through the stack of entries, the committee chose Pixley and Goff not only because they adhered to the rules but because their words showed a great deal of insight, DeHaven said.
      "They put thought into their essays; they didn't just scribble something down," said DeHaven, noting that the committee had planned on selecting one overall winner but decided instead to honor both Pixley and Goff.
      Speaking on each essay, DeHaven found Pixley's work extremely "thought provoking and moving for a ninth-grader," she said.
      Goff's words, on the other hand, had a certain innocence the committee wanted to see captured, DeHaven said. "I didn't want to have a kid get up there and sound like she was running for office," DeHaven said.
      Indeed, both writers apparently shied away from political rhetoric in interpreting the famed presidential speech. Lincoln's words remain as poignant today as they were nearly a century and a half ago, Pixley said.
      "I tried to bring out the point that it didn't have to do with only Gettysburg but the whole inner-message of comfort and looking courageously toward the future," the 14-year-old Peninsula Township resident said.