Capping an evening of cocktails, dinner and interesting general business at Destination Gettysburg’s annual meeting March 31 at the Gettysburg Hotel, local business owner and nationally acclaimed artist Wendy Allen accepted the “Jim Getty Spirit of Gettysburg Award” — a distinguished honor that has been awarded annually for almost a decade.
Allen is the ninth recipient of the award established in tribute to Gettysburg’s own celebrity James A. Getty, a musician, historian, actor, teacher and business leader who was known for his expert knowledge of and portrayals of Abraham Lincoln.
Getty spent four decades prior to his passing in 2015 appearing in Civil War films and videos and voice recordings at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Every November 19th for decades, he delivered the Gettysburg Address at the National Cemetery in Gettysburg.
Founder of A. Lincoln’s Place Theater, Getty was also known for leadership presentations to corporate and government leaders as well as his work to attract tourism to Adams County.
Destination Gettysburg — a marketing organization whose stated mission is “to promote Gettysburg-Adams County as a premier travel destination…and enhance our community by sharing history…” — presented its first “Jim Getty Spirit of Gettysburg Award” to Dobbin House Tavern owner Jacqueline White in 2016 following Getty’s death the prior year.
Subsequent recipients have included a battlefield guide, a museum owner, hotel owners, hospitality businessmen and women, a National Park Service ranger and the president of Gettysburg Tours, Inc.
The same year that Destination Gettysburg established the “Jim Getty” award, Allen (then Vice President of the nonprofit Lincoln Fellowship) founded “100 Nights of Taps” — a revered evening program that runs Memorial Day through Labor Day at the Soldiers’ National Monument, where a bugler plays “Taps” at 7 p.m. to honor the fallen.
Currently serving as President of the Lincoln Fellowship and on the Board of Advisors for the Lincoln Forum, Allen owns Lincoln Into Art on Baltimore Street (a stone’s throw from the previous location of Getty’s A. Lincoln’s Place Theater) — a contemporary art studio/gallery where her original paintings of Lincoln sell for from $750- $10,000 and prints are available for around $200.
In a brief video preceding the presentation of the 2025 award, Adams County Controller Tammy Myers — who nominated Allen — said that like Jim Getty, Allen was a transplant to Gettysburg who fell in love with Gettysburg and the Adams County community and made it her own and much better.
Destination Gettysburg President & CEO Karl Pietrzak said that Allen exemplifies the traits that Getty brought to Gettysburg as a tireless community leader who championed tourism. Other members of the Gettysburg community — Christopher Gwinn, Chief of Interpretation & Education, Gettysburg National Military Park; Christopher Burne, Lieutenant General of the Air Force; Monica Oss, CEO, Open Minds; John Tuskan, Historian Archivist, Lincoln Fellowship; and Sandy Tuskan, Photographer, “100 Nights of Taps” — described Allen as a true leader and visionary who achieves “high dreams.”
This year’s nominations opened in mid-January and closed on Valentine’s Day. Destination Gettysburg Media Relations Manager Mary Grace Kauffman said the previous winners — White, Terry Fox, Nancie Gudmestad, Paul Witt, Andy Larson, Rick Beamer, Randy Phiel, and Max Felty — chose Allen to receive this year’s award.
Allen thanked all the employees of Destination Gettysburg for the honor and the “amazing” past winners for their vote of confidence. She spoke about her friendship with and admiration for Getty, their many shared art projects through the Arts Council, and how they loved Gettysburg and worked together to make it better for their community and national and international tourists.
“Gettysburg is a local international historical touchpoint,” she said. “And I think we should always keep that in mind.”
Allen also quoted from her favorite writer Dr. Richard Selzer’s essay “The Exact Location of the Soul,” which concludes that the human soul resides in its wounds. She said she believes America’s soul is defined by the wounds of the Civil War and was born the moment Lincoln concluded his Gettysburg Address.
Once the meeting adjourned, many attendees congratulated Allen on her honor, including last year’s recipient, Felty of Gettysburg Tours.
“Congratulations! You are an amazing person for this community,” he said. “So, keep rocking!”
Allen said she felt overwhelmed because all the past winners are such superstars that “being among those names is incredible.”
Meeting attendee Emma Burgess, Philanthropy Communications Coordinator for the Gettysburg Foundation, said she was moved by Allen’s words about expressing the soul of Gettysburg for people to connect to through history.
“She provided such a unique perspective through her mentor’s comments…the way that she’s lived her life through those words is very inspiring to young professionals and everyone in the community…,” Burgess said.
Away from the podium, Destination Gettysburg President & CEO Pietrzak reiterated how pleased his organization is with this year’s honoree.
“We’re very proud,” Pietrzak said. “Wendy is a great addition to this prestigious group of tourism ambassadors. She never seeks the spotlight; everything she does is behind the scenes, but we all see it out in front. Wherever visitors are, Wendy usually has a hand in.”
Destination Gettysburg is a marketing organization with over 300 business partners offering travel assistance at 1560 Fairfield Road, Gettysburg, open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., (717) 334-6274 or (800) 337-5015; and at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center, 1195 Baltimore Pike, (717) 334-6274 or (800) 337-5015, info@destinationgettysburg.com. Photo courtesy of Destination Gettysburg.
Patti, this is a beautifully written article. Everything you said about Dad was spot-on accurate. I don’t know of a journalist during Dad’s career who got it so right, so Strunk & White. Wendy, congratulations and thank you for your contributions to the community. Thanks for your fresh ideas, your art, and your commitment to helping young people learn about Gettysburg’s importance in our American experience. J. David Getty
Thank you, sir, for your kind words!