Sewickley Teen to Recite Gettysburg Address During Memorial Day Ceremony

Quinn Boyle was excited to learn she was chosen as this year's winner of the annual Gettysburg Address contest.

The 14-year-old Sewickley resident went before members of the Memorial Day Parade Committee earlier this month to recite the entire 270-word Gettysburg Address.

As she delivered the words from memory, Quinn said the four committee members, all veterans, nodded their heads with approval. 

"I could tell they knew it from front to back and they were shaking their heads when I got it right," she said. 

The eighth-grader practiced for about three weeks. In preparation for the audition in early May, Quinn said she filmed herself on a iPad to practice.

On Tuesday, she was joined by her mom Janice Patz during a ceremony with Sewickley Mayor Brian Jeffe to recognize this year's contest winner.

"You rose to the occasion and did a great job," Mayor Brian Jeffe told Quinn. 

As the winner, Quinn received a proclamation declaring Thursday, May 23 as “Quinn Boyle Day” in Sewickley. She will appear Monday in the 122nd annual Memorial Day Parade and will deliver the annual Gettysburg address during a memorial service in the Sewickley Cemetery.

The event is a service tribute to veterans and acknowledges those who gave their lives.

Sewickley Memorial Day Weekend

Friday, May 24
Wolcott Park, Beaver & Broad Streets

6 p.m. - Flag Retirement Ceremony 

7 p.m. - Patriotic Music

9 p.m. - Celebration of Service Fireworks (or at dark) 


Saturday, May 25
10:30 a.m. - Memorial Service at the Coast Guard Station

Sunday, May 26
Sewickley United Methodist Church, corner of Broad and Beaver streets
11 a.m. - Veterans Memorial Service 

Monday, May 27

10 a.m. - 122nd Annual Memorial Day Parade. 

Program at Wolcott Park (immediately following the parade)

Program at Sewickley Cemetery (mmediately after the Wolcott Park program).