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Published on: 8/30/2004
Last Visited: 8/30/2004
With patience, Heinrich crafted talent, success
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A few years back, a former student approached Ted Heinrich.
"You kept me from pushing a shovel," he told Heinrich.
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It seems the young man had been part of a building crew, consigned to basic shovel duty, when a supervisor caught him looking over blueprints during a break.
Ted Heinrich
The supervisor asked him if he could really read blueprints.
Not only could the young man read blueprints, he told the boss, he had discovered several mistakes.
The shovel-wielder was quickly promoted to foreman.His ascent was a credit to Heinrich, a legendary now-retired drafting and woodworking teacher at Lodi High.
During his 30 years at Lodi High, the soft-spoken Heinrich gained a reputation as a motivator, teacher and career-launcher.Many students won national awards for their drafting prowess.Dozens went on to careers in drafting, construction, engineering and architecture.Heinrich was named teacher of the year for Lodi High, the Lodi Unified School District and the San Joaquin Office of Education.
For his accomplishments as an educator, Heinrich has been selected as an inductee into the Lodi Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Lodi Boys and Girls Club.
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With wire-rim glasses and salt-and-pepper hair, Heinrich, 68, has a slightly professorial appearance.But his career began with a love of flying sawdust and tools and craftsmanship.
Heinrich was born and reared in Lodi.His father, Louis, was a carpenter in the days when a carpenter did it all, from framing to cabinetry.
"He was a perfectionist, and he taught me the value of hard work," Heinrich said.
The Russian-born carpenter frequently brought his son to work sites.When 5 p.m. approached, Heinrich remembers asking his father if it was time to quit.
It was not time to quit until you finish the job I have given you, his father replied.While his father instilled attention to detail, Heinrich said his mother, Katie, gave him the gift of patience.
As a seventh-grader at Needham School, Heinrich remembers his very first woodshop project: a napkin holder.Even then, as a pre-teen, he knew his career would be involved in building and teaching.
He continued taking woodshop classes and working with his dad, refining his abilities, throughout high school.He later graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in industrial arts.
His first woodshop job was in Hawaii, where he taught -- and also learned.
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