The appearance in question was at a hotel connected to a Mississippi Gulf Coast casino. It took place during a luncheon at the annual conference of the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES).

Lee doesn’t like to separate the actor from the role. His presentation was not promoted in advance and he stayed in character during his 30-minute talk, as well as in informal conversations afterwards.

The actor adapts his talk to his audience. So he told the refrigeration folks of ways Jefferson came up with to keep his Virginia home comfortable and to keep food supplies from spoiling. The methods came from Jefferson’s writings and apparently hit home. One bit of 18th-century technology had some in the audience recognizing a concept similar to today’s use of a check valve.

Toward the end of his talk, Lee offered some observations of Jefferson’s that have certainly stood the test of time. Jefferson called these “A Decalogue of Canons for Observation in Practical Life.” They were first written by Jefferson in 1825, at age 81, to Thomas Jefferson Smith.

Contractors can easily take nine of those 10 items to heart. Dieters can ponder the other one. Patrick Lee, by the way, does travel extensively and speaks to a wide variety of groups. Besides Jefferson, he also portrays Daniel Boone and William Clark (of Lewis and Clark). If you are interested in learning more about Lee, you can reach him at 573-657-2739 or online at www.patricklee.com (website).

Publication date: 12/04/2000