Norm Abram
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Norm Abram (born October 3, 1949)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is an American carpenter, writer, and television host best known for his work on the PBS television programs This Old House and The New Yankee Workshop.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He is a Master carpenter and has published several books and articles about the craft.
Early life and educationEdit
Abram was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island,<ref name="Smith">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and raised in Milford, Massachusetts, where he attended high school.<ref name="Boesel">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Boesel-print">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="TOH-Bio">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His father was a carpenter, who taught his son many of his practical skills.<ref name="Wolfe">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Norm first worked on a client's site at the age of 9, helping his father install hardwood floors.<ref name="Pratt">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He worked with his father during summer vacations in high school and college.<ref name="Pratt"/>
Abram initially studied mechanical engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst,<ref name="TOH-Bio"/><ref name="Wolfe"/><ref name="Doten"/> where he became a brother of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity.<ref name="Wolfe"/> He found theoretical engineering courses to be uninteresting,<ref name="Wolfe"/><ref name="Doten"/> and switched to studying business administration.<ref name="TOH-Bio"/><ref name="Doten"/> He realized that he enjoyed practical hands-on work, and left UMass just short of finishing a degree.<ref name="Wolfe"/><ref name="Doten"/>
CareerEdit
Early careerEdit
After leaving college, Abram worked for three years for a multimillion-dollar New England–based construction firm,<ref name="TOH-Bio"/> and was rapidly promoted to a position as a site supervisor.<ref name="Wolfe"/> In 1976, Abram went into business for himself, founding the general contracting firm Integrated Structures Inc. and operating it until 1989.<ref name="TOH-Bio"/> His first major independent project was building a general store on Nantucket.<ref name="Wolfe"/>
This Old HouseEdit
In 1979, Norm Abram took a construction job building a small barn/garage/toolshed/workshop in the backyard of television producer Russell Morash,<ref name="Natt">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> who had produced Julia Child's popular cooking program The French Chef for WGBH-TV in Boston. Impressed by Abram's small scrap pile<ref name="TOH-Bio"/> and efficient work habits, Morash invited Abram to help with the renovation of a rundown Victorian house in Dorchester. A WGBH camera crew recorded the process for the first This Old House project, hosted by Bob Vila. Morash then asked Abram to appear as a regular on This Old House, and Abram became a fixture on the show.
On May 19, 2022, it was announced that after 43 years, Abram would retire from the show. A one-hour special titled The House that Norm Built aired online and on PBS stations on October 3, 2022, surveying his career with the program.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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The New Yankee WorkshopEdit
In 1988, Morash planned to launch a spinoff of This Old House called The New Yankee Workshop, featuring Abram. They needed a convenient place to videotape, and used the shop in the small building that Abram built in 1979 in Morash's backyard.<ref name="Natt"/> The shop's layout and equipment were expanded and adapted to match Abram's preferences, in a space measuring Template:Convert.<ref name="Harder">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Rice">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The New Yankee Workshop was first aired in 1989 with Abram as the host.<ref name="Boesel"/> The program showcased furniture or other projects and emphasized classic, elegant designs, made using a combination of simple handtools and newer power tools and equipment.<ref name="Boesel"/> The show aired for 21 seasons on PBS, then was suspended indefinitely as Abram decided to focus on other projects.<ref name="Natt"/><ref name="Eide">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Kolle"/>
Other projectsEdit
Abram is on the board of trustees of Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.<ref name="TOH-Bio"/> He delivered the 2001 commencement speech at the North Bennet Street School in Boston, which is renowned for its commitment to teaching craftsmanship.<ref name="TOH-Bio"/> He has also contributed to efforts to train younger students in the building trades, such as the Generation NEXT apprenticeship program.<ref name="Natt"/>
Abram also voiced himself in the Freakazoid! episode "Normadeus",<ref name="Smith"/> where he was kidnapped by the villainous Lobe and forced to make a special wooden weapon for him. He also appeared on Between the Lions and twice on Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?; and starred in a series of Foot Locker commercials titled "House of Hoops". Abram appeared on Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman in the episode "This Old... Lemonade Stand". He also appeared in the 2010 Ace of Cakes episode "Indy, Ice and Improv".
Presentation styleEdit
Norm Abram is well known for his soft spoken, calm manner of explaining precise, efficient woodworking techniques. He is usually seen wearing a plaid shirt, a style that has become his trademark.<ref name="Wood">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Carter">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Natt"/> He begins his shows with a reminder about personal safety, specifically highlighting the importance of wearing safety glasses.<ref name="IMDB-Bio"/>
Abram emphasizes the importance of focusing attention when performing dangerous operations, such as cutting with a power saw. He avoids working when rushed, tired, distracted, or after drinking even small amounts of alcohol. He advises against misusing tools or failing to sharpen them properly. He is not afraid to talk to himself in the shop, reviewing carefully the next steps before he undertakes them.<ref name="Kolle">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Awards and recognitionEdit
The American Academy of Ophthalmology awarded Norm Abram its EyeSmart Distinguished Service Award on April 23, 2009. The award was presented for "his steadfast commitment to safety and the prevention of eye injuries".<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref>
In 2018, Abram was selected for the Ken Burns Lifetime Achievement Award by the filmmaker who, with Old Sturbridge Village, gives the award to "individual[s] who [have] made a significant impact on the arts through a project that is relevant to the history Old Sturbridge Village works to preserve".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On June 18, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences honored Norm along with “This Old House” with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 49th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.
Personal lifeEdit
Norm Abram has lived with his wife, Elise (a skilled potter),<ref name="Kolle"/> in a custom modified classic two story Colonial, timber framed home that he built in Carlisle, Massachusetts, with the assistance of his father and other professionals.<ref name="WSJ">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He wrote his book Norm Abram's New House (1995) based on his experiences planning and building the house.<ref name="Rhodes">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
More recently, he bought a new old house in Rhode Island near the coast, where he plans to build a new woodworking shop, and he is also interested in learning shipbuilding.<ref name="Kolle"/><ref name="WSJ"/>
His fondness for plaid shirts is well-known and at times parodied,<ref name="Boesel"/><ref name="TOH-Bio"/> a prime example being the character Al Borland from Home Improvement, portrayed by Richard Karn.
Abram and his wife enjoy cooking and entertaining, visiting museums and art galleries, boating, kayaking, and fishing.<ref name="TOH-Bio"/>
Abram was previously married to Laura Cone (divorced in 1996),<ref name="IMDB-Bio">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Doten">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> with whom he has a daughter, Lindsey.<ref name="Rhodes"/><ref name="Doten"/>
Books and other publicationsEdit
Norm Abram has authored eight books about carpentry:
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He has also contributed to Template:Cite book and Template:Cite book, both published in 2004 by This Old House Books in conjunction with Sunset Books. Abram also serves on the editorial board of This Old House magazine, published by This Old House Ventures, Inc., also authoring the popular column, "Norm's Notebook".<ref name="TOH-Bio"/>
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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