We live in such unprecedented times that we sometimes forget the unprecedented eras before; times in which technology likewise accelerated at exciting new places and people overcame obstacles and imagined entirely new ways of thinking and creating. The upcoming Ralph R. Teetor documentary examines the life of one such insightful individual, his compelling stories, and one such era. This documentary about the extraordinary life of visionary Ralph R. Teetor is inspirational as well as enlightening about the exciting early decades of automobiles and automobile technology.
The life of Ralph R. Teetor began in 1890 when he was born in the small and unassuming town of Hagerstown, Indiana. Hagerstown lies almost directly at the center of Indianapolis and Dayton, Ohio — both of which were prospering industrial towns at the turn of the century. Of course, Ralph R. Teetor had his own first advantage by being born not only in this industrious community, but his family was already playing a part by building up their own manufacturing business that started with railroad inspection cars and later adapted and evolved to automobile engines. This is where he developed his obsession at an early age with tools, machinery and building.
Of course, while the early life of Ralph R. Teetor did give him this advantage, he also started with a big disadvantage. It is this big disadvantage that really makes the life of Ralph R. Teetor especially remarkable and a big reason why people should view the Ralph R. Teetor documentary. This disadvantage is that at the age of five, Teetor accidentally blinded himself in one eye while working with a knife. The damage was such that both eyes became blind. All of his schooling, work, exciting inventions, and so much more were done while he was fully blind. The Ralph R. Teetor documentary looks at how he overcame unimaginable odds, his extraordinary character, and how his leadership indelibly changed the automotive industry.