Norm Abram

Abram was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and raised in Milford, Massachusetts, where he attended high school. His father was a carpenter, who taught his son many of his practical skills. Abram first worked on a client's site at the age of 9, helping his father install hardwood floors. He worked with his father during summer vacations in high school and college. Abram initially studied mechanical engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass), where he became a brother of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. He found theoretical engineering courses to be uninteresting, and switched to studying business administration. He realized that he enjoyed practical hands-on work, and left UMass just short of finishing a degree. ==Career==

Early career After leaving college, Abram worked for three years for a multimillion-dollar New England–based construction firm, who had produced Julia Child's popular cooking program The French Chef for WGBH-TV in Boston. Impressed by Abram's small scrap pile Roy Bernardi (center), and This Old House host Kevin O'Connor (right), at a renovation site in 2006 The New Yankee Workshop 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. The New Yankee Workshop was first aired in 1989 with Abram as the host. Other projects Abram is on the board of trustees of Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. He delivered the 2001 commencement speech at the North Bennet Street School in Boston, which is renowned for its commitment to teaching craftsmanship. He has also contributed to efforts to train younger students in the building trades, such as the Generation NEXT apprenticeship program. Abram also voiced himself in the Freakazoid! episode "Normadeus", 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 style==

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. ==Awards and recognition==

The American Academy of Ophthalmology awarded 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". 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". In 2022, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences honored Abram along with This Old House with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 49th Daytime Emmy Awards. ==Personal life==

Norm Abram has lived with his wife, Elise (a potter), He wrote his book ''Norm Abram's New House'' (1995) based on his experiences planning and building the house. 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. with whom he has a daughter, Lindsey. ==Books and other publications==

Norm Abram has authored eight books about carpentry: • • • • • • • • He has also contributed to and , 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". ==References==