SHU Hosts Talk with Alumnus John Ratzenberger
FAIRFIELD, Conn.— Sacred Heart University and WSHU will host a conversation with alumnus, actor and Bridgeport native John Ratzenberger on Giving Tuesday Now.
Giving Tuesday Now (an extension of Giving Tuesday) is a global day of unity scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 5, as a response to the great need caused by COVID-19.
During a streamed video conference with WSHU radio host Randye Kaye at noon on May 5, Ratzenberger will discuss growing up in Connecticut, his successes at SHU and what led to his acting career, including Cheers and the Disney Pixar movies. Denisse Rodriguez, senior and student government president, will also join the conversation.
Ratzenberger will encourage listeners to donate and support institutions that are important to the viewer including WSHU and SHU’s emergency relief fund. The emergency relief fund raises money for students who need extra financial help during this difficult time.
“Let’s bring joy to our community with a fun, light-hearted conversation with one of our favorite alumni all while assisting our students and families who have been hit the hardest by the pandemic,” said Bill Reidy, vice president for university advancement. The conversation will stream live here at noon on May 5, Giving Tuesday Now.
Born in Bridgeport in 1947, Ratzenberger grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood with traditional values and a strong work ethic. From factory work to building sets at the Woodstock music festival and living life in the big city, he’s done it all. His career reflects his versatility, taking him from his start in a comedy troupe traipsing through Europe and improvising his role as the bar know-it-all in the award-winning Cheers to the fine art of carpentry as he retreated from the demands of Hollywood to a picturesque island in the Pacific Northwest. Ratzenberger hosted the hit Travel Channel series John Ratzenberger’s Made in America, which embraces all the things he loves about America but many people often forget. He is most physically recognizable for his role as Cliff Clavin, the trivia-dispensing mailman who spent 11 years hanging around the bar at Cheers. Before that gig, Ratzenberger could be seen in small roles on big films such as A Bridge Too Far, Superman, The Empire Strikes Back and Gandhi.
After Cheers Ratzenberger entered a new phase in his career, voicing piggy bank Hamm in the pioneering computer-animated feature Toy Story. Pixar liked what they heard and he's since lent his distinctive vocals to every subsequent film from the studio.
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About Sacred Heart University
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland and offers online programs. More than 9,000 students attend the University’s nine colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Social Work; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology; the Dr. Susan L. Davis & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart stands out from other Catholic institutions as it was established and led by laity. The contemporary Catholic university is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, and at the same time cultivates students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives, professions and in their communities. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 385 Colleges–2020 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best 252 Business Schools–2019 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU, a Division I athletics program and an impressive performing arts program that includes choir, band, dance and theater. www.sacredheart.edu