We Made History-historical re-enactors,serious portrayers

Celebrating Ed Haney’s portrayal of Civil War General & 20^th US President James A. Garfield

1985 to 2018

A Mighty Fine Run!

Skip Trombetti, Van’s Photos, Mentor, OH

James A. Garfield – circa 1880 (by Mathew Brady/L.C. Handy – LOC)

Thank you Mr. President!

After 33 years of portraying Major General & 20^th US President James A. Garfield, Ed Haney is retiring. He has spoken to hundreds of groups and educated ~ and entertained ~ thousands of children and adults.
The We Made History troupe of presidential living historians thanks Ed for all he did to encourage the rest of us to take the leap into portraying presidents and first ladies. His theatrical advice led to our performances being even better by adding props, improving our stage presence, and staying “in character.”

We can never thank Ed enough for being the patriarch of our group!

He will be forever known as northeast Ohio’s “James A. Garfield” and as grandfather to the generations of Garfield descendants that he had the pleasure to meet.

Ed performed his program, “From Log Cabin to White House,” for over two decades. As an actor and director active in community theater, he was asked to appear at a fund-raiser to greet people as the president and mingle with the crowd. The experience inspired him to delve into the history of the Garfields. He developed the program and began to present it to groups throughout northeast Ohio. His program was well received by the descendants of President Garfield.

To further his knowledge, he worked at the James A. Garfield National Historic Site (“Lawnfield”) as an Interpreter who gave tours to visitors and school groups. He was also involved in the family events and adult lecture series at the site. Ed’s portrayal of the president has been seen on various television programs and via teleconferencing to distant schools. He teamed up with Debbie Weinkamer in 2001 to create and perform new programs as The Garfields.