On Sept. 18, 2025, we had the honor of having Steven Edenbo as “Thomas Jefferson” at the Kirbo Center here on the ABAC Bainbridge campus. Here, he delivered an impersonation of Jefferson to the ABAC students and
the public.
Edenbo has studied the life of Jefferson extensively. His commitment allows him to look and act like the famous politician and American
president. Edenbo talked as if he was really Jefferson and impressed many people on his knowledge and his ability to stay in character for the length of the skit.
Jessica Lewis, a current ABAC student on the Bainbridge Campus, said Edenbo was “very informative and had a great old-style humor.” She said his act was very informative. She was amazed that Edenbo knew so much about Jefferson’s life. She said he was very funny, and she appreciated the way he oriented his humor to fit in Jefferson’s time.
In one joke, Edenbo mentioned the microphone and still stayed in character as Jefferson.
He also said, “My memory gets a bit foggy after July 4, 1826” (the day Jefferson died), combining humor and knowledge of history.
Lewis said she loved Edenbo’s performance and “thought he did a great job.”
Another ABAC student at Bainbridge, Kyla Green, also enjoyed the performance.
She said, “His motivation to not break character was amazing.” She also said Edenbo wore an outfit that Jefferson could have worn and
talked like him even when answering questions.
During the Q&A, he talked about Jefferson’s marriage with his wife as if she were actually his wife. She said she was amazed at Edenbo’s acting. Audience members also responded enthusiastically to the performance.
Edenbo is clearly committed to the character and the time in history. He has continued to learn about this historic figure and sharpen his
interpretive skills. His background includes a research fellowship at Monticello’s Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies, work Edenbo has made to perfect his act. His performance demonstrated his dedication to his role.
Edenbo amazed the audience that night, demonstrating the results of his long hours of study and practice as an actor. His speech sounded
as Jefferson might have; he used references appropriate for the times, and he even drank water from a gold cup filled from one of two silver
pitchers on stage.
Edenbo’s commitment to the role gave the audience a glimpse of what it would have been like to hear Thomas Jefferson if he were here today, bringing to life a figure often left to our history books.