Harold Jefferson

Woodworking, Building & Hands-On Hobbies

Age 72 · Retired high school shop teacher and lifelong craftsman

I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, the son of a furniture maker who believed a man's hands were his most important tool. I taught shop class for 38 years at Jefferson Davis High, turning out generations of students who knew how to measure twice and cut once. I retired at 67 and walked straight into my garage workshop — which my wife says I never really left. I've since built a dining table, a garden shed, three rocking chairs, and enough birdhouses to fill a small forest. I write because I want every retiree to know that creating something with your own hands — at any age — is one of the most satisfying things a human being can do.