Partnership Educators,
In Hagerstown, Indiana, population 914, young Ralph’s earliest memories were of the bicycle shop working alongside his patient father and uncles repairing bicycles. At age nine he envisioned one with four wheels. Do you know those railroad inspection cars that are large enough to carry a work crew of four men but light enough to lift on and off the tracks when a train is coming? The first one was pedal-powered and the brainchild of Ralph. By 1901 he hand made an engine to propel. In fact, Ralph had made a working automobile when he was just twelve.
To the early automobile user, the perfect circle piston rings were common knowledge. It was Ralph who perfected the circle piston and thus changed the family business from bicycles to automobiles. During World War I, our navy engineers were stuck on high-speed rotors for destroyers because they often tore up the ship. It was Ralph who figured out how to balance them correctly. Then in 1922 he designed and patented the first-ever selective gear shift for automobiles or the automatic transmission. During World War II the nation set the first speed limit to conserve on gasoline. The constant braking to slow down to the set limit made Ralph nauseated. Ralph was tinkering around and invented an accelerator which would resist pressure from a preset speed and so the cruise control was born. In 1938 the prestigious Society of Automotive Engineers made him its president. He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1988 for his numerous contributions to the automotive industry.
For all of Ralph’s contributions to the automotive industry and the evolution of the motor car, he never drove one. That’s right he never drove any one of the cars that he worked on not even the one he built by hand. Ralph Teetor has been called a man of vision and he certainly was one in the engineering field. He foresaw the future and improved it. He made it more comfortable, convenient, and safe for us all. But since the age of five, with all of his gifts to see the future and build something based on that foresight, he was totally blind.
We are the guides that come alongside many children who still see themselves in the light of their disability. Helen Keller said, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” Ralph Teetor never thought of himself as disabled but an abled person without sight. I appreciate your efforts to put supports in place that can help our children see their gifts and have the hope and self-confidence to achieve great things. Continue to find ways to help all of our students find their gifts.
Stevie Wonder, “Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision.”
Have a great weekend,
Rob
Superintendent
Redding Elementary School District
New Millennium Partnership
5885 East Bonnyview Rd.
Redding, Ca 96001