Foundation for America and HCC Bring Makership Back to America
Well-known actor and U.S. manufacturing advocate John Ratzenberger met with young people at Housatonic Community College (HCC) in Bridgeport. The visit by Ratzenberger, a Bridgeport native, is part of the launch of the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame at HCC. John also appeared upstairs at the Hampshire House above the Cheers bar on Beacon Street in Boston, with hopes to build support for training young people in skilled jobs like carpentry and manufacturing, a movement he described as “nothing less than the second American revolution. The former TV sitcom star said he’s hoping his non-partisan foundation will be able to raise money to support school districts and non-profit organizations around the country to teach kids trade skills that are disappearing from the workforce, and hopes to gain enough publicity to catapult the issue into the national spotlight during the 2016 presidential election. For more information, read this article on MassLive.com and this article from the Shelton...
Self-Reliance and Handsaws
John Ratzenberger has been featured on the Huffington Posts’ blog in an article titled Self-Reliance and Handsaws: John Ratzenberger’s Tools for Life by Joseph Parker. Highlights include: To Ratzenberger, equipping the children of future generations with such hands-on skills and abilities is imperative to the continuation of our economy and way of life. He believes our country was built thanks to the hard work and self-sufficiency of those who knew how to create and fix things. “That’s what built America: self-reliance. You just did it. Figure it out,” he says. But more and more, Americans are getting in the habit of picking up the phone and calling in a professional rather than fixing something themselves. And that, to Ratzenberger, is a travesty. “By the time everybody realizes the problem, it’s going to be too late. Right now, there’s time to still teach children and get them interested in the nuts and the bolts and the saws and the hammers, because right now they’re not.” Ratzenberger’s hope is that shows like “Made in America” will help to bolster the American public’s view of the construction industry, and even reinvigorate younger generations’ interest in learning how to build and fix things themselves. According to John, anyone can take on the proper training and learn to work with their hands. “When I teach people and show people, a lot of people have the understanding that they’re not handy at all, or they can’t do something,” Ratzenberger says. This is something he hopes to change with better education, which can in turn lead to students — specifically, kids — feeling a sense of accomplishment when they build or create something that will stand the test of time. Click here to read the full article online....
Cheers’ John Ratzenberger to Appear in Tervis Showroom
Tervis will say “Cheers” to John Ratzenberger, America’s favorite mailman during The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market. Ratzenberger, a supporter of Made in America products and the producer and host of the Travel Channel’s Made in America show, will be the guest of honor in the Tervis showroom on Thursday, January 9, 2014 from 4-7 p.m. Buyers will have the opportunity enjoy cocktails and have their photos taken with Ratzenberger. In addition to the Made in America show, Ratzenberger has written a book entitled We’ve Got it Made in America: A Common Man’s Salute to an Uncommon Country, and is in the process of developing a new show: John Ratzenberger’s American Made. The new show will feature many of the best American made companies, many with recognizable household names such as Tervis, which will be one of the first companies featured. Click here to read more about this event...