Can I Have Your Autograph?

Cassie Cox

John Pratt has been collecting autographs from celebrities and people who were a part of history since he won the signature of Hal Smith, who played Otis Campbell on the Andy Griffith Show at a charity auction. Now everyone should be asking for Pratt’s autograph.

Pratt was born and raised in Decatur County. He has traveled around, residing in northern Kentucky, Cincinnati, Ohio, New Albany, IN, Franklin, IN, and Boise, Idaho. He has now been back to his native roots for a decade with his wife, Jill, and daughters, Clare and Caroline. Jill Pratt is the childrens’ librarian here in Greensburg. Clare, 19, is a sophomore at the University of Southern Indiana and Caroline, 13, is in the seventh grade at Greensburg Jr. High.

Pratt used to help with non-profit organizations doing fundraisers for almost 17 years. He also was heard on Greensburg’s WTRE Tree Country 1330 with his own radio show eight years ago. The job that has Pratt’s heart and growing fame, however, is teaching, hands-down.

Pratt became a teacher because his wife suggested it when he reached his mid-life and wanted to seek out his meaning. He enrolled into a one-year teaching transitional program four years ago. This is his third year teaching social studies classes ranging between history, geography, and economics to psychology, sociology, and the new Indiana studies class at North Decatur High School.

“Becoming a teacher was the best choice I ever made,” Pratt said with a smile.

Since becoming a teacher, Pratt has been able to spread his love of collecting autographs to his students and, most recently, the nation. The Sept. issue of “Autograph”, a national magazine full of autographs and the fans who collect them, features a four-page story written by Pratt. The article mentions the questionnaires, phone interviews and personal encounters students have participated in with Pratt’s guidance. He decided he wanted to do hands-on projects in his classes to motivate the students to be involved in the history, rather than just read it from a textbook.

Pratt is all about verstehen, which means gaining a new perspective by placing oneself in the shoes of another. Two verstehen projects were developed; “Based on a True Story” and “You Are There”. “Based on a True Story” is a chance for students to select a film based on a true story and try to contact the actual people from the event. “You Are There” centers on larger historical events such as the Holocaust.

A hobby of collecting baseball cards has led to autographs from the All-American professional baseball women, which led to a phone interview from the creator of The Waltons. Now Pratt has a handful of phone interviews for students to ask questions to famous people every couple of weeks.

Pratt has had a few phone interviews that stand out in his mind. Usually he sets up the interviews and only peeks in to check that everything is running smoothly. However, he had to stay in the room when Condoleeza Rice was on the line. Once, a Holocaust survivor stayed on the phone for 90 minutes, talking and reading poems she had written. Pratt was particularly fond of chatting with an actor from The Waltons, forming a small friendship and exchanging gifts with each other.

Being published in a national magazine is only the beginning for Pratt. He is currently focused on several future plans. There is a possibility his Indiana studies class will be pairing up with the Indiana Free Trails Association to study the Underground Railroad. They hope to tour homes where slaves hid and restore a cemetery with African-Americans buried in it 150 years ago. Pratt is churning an idea for an online talk show and website for Indiana students to connect with one another about local history as well.

“Everything I do is a process where you just have to plant the seed and keep your fingers crossed,” Pratt said. “I want to continue helping students personally connect with history, because that is what they are doing.”

Text Only