the future's so bright, I gotta tell Abe
A 2025 University of Wisconsin (Madison) graduate in the lap of the Abraham Lincoln statue in front of Bascom Hall on campus.
The statue was placed in June of 1909, so Abe has been waiting 116 years for this graduate to make the climb up and tell him her hopes and dreams for the future.
The future is indeed bright for this young lady. Smart, articulate, ambitious and beautiful, she will find great success and make a difference in the world. You can see by Abe's facial expression that he has every confidence in her too.
Abraham Lincoln signed three acts during his presidency that hugely enhanced the quality of universities across America, including the UW. One of the three was the Morrill Act, signed in 1862 after it had been vetoed by President Buchanan. This act granted parcels of land to all states to fund universities that would “promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life.” This act has been called the “Education Bill of Rights,” and it was instrumental in helping more students to attend college. W.D. Hoard, a former Wisconsin governor and president of the Board of Regents, spoke at the statue’s unveiling ceremony and accepted the gift “because of our deep and lasting gratitude as a commonwealth for the character and services of Abraham Lincoln; because of the faith and pride we have in the purpose and achievements of our noble university … with the promise that nothing shall be lacking on their part to maintain and preserve it as a sign to all future generations of the high ideals of American citizenship that are taught here to the young of the land.”
The title is a nod to Wisconsin's own Pat MacDonald. Pat is the only person from Green Bay to have a top 40 hit - that with his song "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" (1986), with his group at the time (he and his wife), Timbuk3.
the future's so bright, I gotta tell Abe
A 2025 University of Wisconsin (Madison) graduate in the lap of the Abraham Lincoln statue in front of Bascom Hall on campus.
The statue was placed in June of 1909, so Abe has been waiting 116 years for this graduate to make the climb up and tell him her hopes and dreams for the future.
The future is indeed bright for this young lady. Smart, articulate, ambitious and beautiful, she will find great success and make a difference in the world. You can see by Abe's facial expression that he has every confidence in her too.
Abraham Lincoln signed three acts during his presidency that hugely enhanced the quality of universities across America, including the UW. One of the three was the Morrill Act, signed in 1862 after it had been vetoed by President Buchanan. This act granted parcels of land to all states to fund universities that would “promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life.” This act has been called the “Education Bill of Rights,” and it was instrumental in helping more students to attend college. W.D. Hoard, a former Wisconsin governor and president of the Board of Regents, spoke at the statue’s unveiling ceremony and accepted the gift “because of our deep and lasting gratitude as a commonwealth for the character and services of Abraham Lincoln; because of the faith and pride we have in the purpose and achievements of our noble university … with the promise that nothing shall be lacking on their part to maintain and preserve it as a sign to all future generations of the high ideals of American citizenship that are taught here to the young of the land.”
The title is a nod to Wisconsin's own Pat MacDonald. Pat is the only person from Green Bay to have a top 40 hit - that with his song "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" (1986), with his group at the time (he and his wife), Timbuk3.