Dear Mr. Bailey,

It was once again with great pleasure that the AP American History students returned to Wall Street at your invitation. Your expertly guided tour of the various historical sites of the area once again provided our students with a day of instructive and memorable experiences.

Visiting the many historical sites of the area – Wall Street, the Stock Exchange. Federal Hail/site of the First Congress and the trial of John Peter Zenger. St. Paul’s Church, the beautiful architecture of the atrium al 26 Broadway/former site of Alexander Hamilton’s office, the graves of Hamilton and Robert Fulton, Battery Park with its spectacular view of the Statue of Liberty, Frances Tavern, and the site of the Twin Towers, to name a few, and hearing your detailed historical narratives and explanations, provided our students with an exiting alternative way of learning American history. Students were particularly impressed by how you engaged them to “perform” the Trial of John Peter Zenger, representing either the plaintiff or the defense, right there, in the very same site where the actual trial took place. And they were no less impressed to hear your detailed narrative of the Burr-Hamilton conflict and duel — pointing to them the area in NJ across from Battery Park where it took place and the area in lower Manhattan where Hamilton, mortally wounded, was brought to after the duel, These are visual historical experiences that our students will remember and cherish forever. I can easily imagine them, years from now, telling their own children about the trip and what they learned from it and, in a similar manner, pointing to them those very same sites.

It was also particularly interesting to see how you managed to integrate in your explanations detailed pedagogical narratives of the various historical characters and heroes of Colonial America and the early American Republic. Washington. Hamilton, Adams, Zenger. Franklyn, Fulton. Burr. etc… each became real to our students in a way that reading about them in a history textbook never could. And yes, we thank you for personalizing your narrative of the events that took place on 9/11. Indeed, our students were very much impressed to hear you narrate your personal experiences of the events that unfolded on that day — especially as none of them had ever had the opportunity to hear about them from an actual witness.

We appreciate as well your sensitivity in providing lunch for us all which, I may add, we devoured with pleasure. And many thanks as well to Alice Davidson for the wonderful photographs she took and the pictorial documentary she compiled for us it will remain part of the High School’s historical record.

Let me, also lake this opportunity to thank you for your assistance with our Mock Trial team. Helping our students practice by performing the trial in our auditorium significantly enhanced their knowledge of the case and court room procedures. Once again, your engaging style was pervasive and positively affected all students, team members and observers alike. we appreciate as well the significant contribution of your friend and attorney Mr. Alan S. Friedman. whose dynamic style in helping and guiding one of the performing teams further enhanced our students’ preparation of the case and knowledge of legal procedures.

As students comments here attached reveal, it was, by all measures, a wonderful learning experience for them all, and for this, we thank you. Looking forward to seeing you again next year.

Very Truly Yours,

Joseph Tusa