Did you know that the inventor of cruise control was blind?

Engineering whiz Ralph Teetor designed The speed of stat.

The very first cruise control device.

In spite of not being able to drive legally.

Obviously he could drive, although when he was a kid he did once.

But anyway, that's another story.

This is the Hagerstown Museum.

your And these guy keep this small Indiana town's history alive S in an old Oddfellows clubhouse filled with Hoosier history and lore, There is a lot of small towns in Indiana that have their own little histories of their own little specialties that you know they have.

Our claim to fame is partially Ralph Teetor, the blind inventor.

they were kids, when Ralph was alive.

And they loved to get together and talk about the old days.

I was pleased to to meet him.

he opened the door, stuck out his hand and said, nice to see you.

And I was blown away.

I could just say, nice to see you too.

But I knew he was blind, but I was just enthralled that he would use the word.

Nice to see you.

Ralph Teeter was born here in 1890.

His family founded the Hartley Teetor Motor Company that would later become Perfect Circle.

The Crown jewel of industry in Hagerstown, Indiana.

At the age of five he blinded himself in one eye.

Like most young guys do.

Once in a while they get in their dad's toolbox.

He poked himself in the eye with an aul.

By the time he was six, He had lost his sight completely.

He developed a rare condition called Sympothetic Opthamalia where blindness in one eye causes blindness in both.

His parents were Christian Scientists, and so that religion believed that you didn't go to a doctor, you praye and you were healed by by God.

Ralph's parents insisted that he would not go to a school for the blind.

If you saw him walking around town, you would not think he was bored.

Ralph would go on to prove that he could lead not only a normal life, but an extraordinary one.

Ralph was determine to carry on the family's legacy.

From 1919 to 1964, Ralph Teetor started in engineering, and later became the company president for Perfect Circle.

Hagerstowns largest employer.

basically, almost everybody worked at Perfect Circle one time or another.

I worked at Perfect Circle for 42 years, actually.

1963, when I graduated school you could either go to college or go to the military or go to work for PC.

Stephan worked with Teeter and Perfect Circle began at a young age.

dad took picture for the magic circle magazine, Stephans father was in charge of the company calendar and needed a poster child.

being a photographer, son, why I was the logical choice.

You know what they say.

Time wounds all heals.

In those days of younger Steven.

Ralph Teeter made numerous contributions to the automotive world, but the most notable cruise control.

Ralph being a blind guy got driven around a lot by his lawyer, he would slow down when talking and speed up while listening.

he did not like the fact that the guy would speed up Slow down.

He he like things to be kind of consistent.

And soon cruise control was born.

So the next time you set your speed, you can thank Indiana's most famous backseat driver from Hagerstown.

Ralph Teetor.

To think that a man that was blind did everything that he did to me.

I can't comprehend that, he's inspiring even after death.

knowing what he accomplished.

And he has his drive to keep going no matter what the circumstance.

He didn't let obstacle get in his way to the end goal.