ALMetro360 June 19

Joe Petranka A Skilled Artisan Teaching the Next Generation of Craftsmen TEXT BY H ENRIETTA M AC G UIRE PHOTOS BY D I A NNA P AULK I NTERVIEWING J OE P ETRANKA IS A LITTLE BIT LIKE HAVING A CHAT WITH THE E NCYCLOPEDIA B RITANNICA . H E IS MULTI - FACETED AND MULTI - LAYERED , SLIDING FROM THE BACTERIA IN CERTAIN WOODS THAT AFFECT THEIR COLOR TO SHOWING YOU HOW TO CHANGE AN OLD STRAIGHT - EDGED RAZOR INTO A DANGEROUSLY SHARP KNIFE . A ND ALL THE WHILE HE ’ S TELLING YOU THAT THE LARGEST MARBLE QUARRY IN THE WORLD IS JUST OUTSIDE S YLACAUGA , A LABAMA , WHICH PRODUCES A HIGHER QUALITY STONE THAN ANYWHERE ELSE ON EARTH . ike so many millions of other Americans, Pe- tranka comes from an immigrant family. Until the 20th century his people had roots in Austria-Hungary and Germany. “My grandfather as a young man came through Ellis Island to land in the U.S. in 1901. He first went to Paducah, Ken- tucky, to work with a railroad company at the train station.” His parents had 13 children, all of whom s c a t t e r e d through the Southeast, along with Joe who 22 AL/ Metro 360 www.almetro360.com CULTURE ................................................................................................................................... L