40 Years of Firsts
1979 BIRTH OF A NOTION After surviving more than one reno himself, TV producer Russ Morash persuades Boston’s WGBH to underwrite a show demystifying the process. Meet carpenter Norm Abram, host Bob Vila, and plumber Ron Trethewey! “I thought I’d be in the background of a couple scenes carrying around ladders,” Norm recalls. The real star: a run-down 1860 house in Dorchester, MA, that cost $17,000 to buy and $30,000 to renovate.
After the series sets a new ratings record for the local public TV station, airs nationally. The plumber’s wrench is passed to Richard Trethewey by his dad, who decides he doesn’t enjoy sweating pipes in the limelight.
