Link to Bill himself

ED GAINES is part of the living legacy of Wild Bill's Coffeeshop. He
has been around the coffeeshop -- and its younger cousin Uptown Bill's
-- for more than 25 years.

He was a part of the coffeeshop staff when Bill himself was in the
place. After Bill's death, Ed was one of the people who stepped in to
keep the coffeeshop running during the discussions of its future.

He stayed at Bill's for nearly a decade after that, until a venture
into his own coffeeshop in 1991. Mr. Ed's Coffeeshop opened in 1991 at
the International Center. That venture lasted until 1994. There were
too many steps and not enough customers, says Ed.

He returned to original Bill's after Mr. Ed's closed and remained a
fixture in the coffeeshop until Uptown Bill's Small Mall opened on
Gilbert Street in 2000. By that time, Ed had created a small business
called Mr. Ed's Supergraphics.

That venture flourished in the new small mall. Flyers and businesses
cards are his main items, along with T-shirt designs. The business
also includes making copies and a fax service.

Ed has been in a wheelchair for many years because of cerebral palsy.
Officially, it's an abnormality of the brain that interferes with the
normal function of the muscles, explains Ed.

"My own term for cerebral palsy is 'physical pest,'" he says. If I
drive a car, I can't control my hands and feet at the same. If I try
to hold a glass of milk, my hand sometimes is jerky and I spill it on
the floor." Ed has taken these and other observations and woven them
into an essay called, of course, "The physical pest."

For some years, Ed lived in a downtown building which had been the
home of the Iowa City Press Citizen when it was part of the
family-owned Speidel Newspapers. The building had been remodeled into
accessible apartments when the newspaper moved out to the edge of town.

Ed has been a well-known part of the downtown scene, whizzing back and
forth from original Bill's (and now Uptown Bill's) in his electric
wheelchair. He runs a variety of errands for the coffeeshop.

A few years ago, Ed became a homeowner. He owns a new home on B
Street, a demonstration project in accessibility. Local builders, the
city of Iowa City and other organizations collaborated on the home. It
features a sink which raises and lowers, a "roll-in" shower and an
oven door which opens from side to side instead of up and down. These
and other features, called "universal design," are designed for
individuals who use wheelchairs.

Most days Ed can be found in his office at the back of the small mall,
adjacent to the Mad Hatter performance space. If you walk by on Court
Street, you can wave to him through the window as you pass. Better
yet, stop in and say hi.

Bill's story and spirit live on in many ways

ONE OF THE coolest things about the legacy of Bill Sackter is that it
isn't stuffed away at the back of some museum. His legacy is a living
one. It can be found in Wild Bill's Coffeeshop, in Uptown Bill's and
in a host of other projects all over the US.

Bill's spirit continues to educate and inspire people -- most of whom
never met him. Each week, I hear from people all over who have heard
about Bill, seen the movie or read his biography. This week's queries
included a note from a young man in Italy.

That's pretty remarkable for a man who died more than 20 years ago. A
native of Minnesota, Bill spent nearly half a century at the state
hospital in Faribault, Minnesota. He was released in the 1960s and
sent back to Minneapolis.

That's where he met Barry Morrow. Barry was a student at the
University of Minnesota; Bill worked as a handyman at Minikahda
Country Club. The two met each other through Bev Morrow, Barry's wife,
who also worked at the country club.

Later, Barry was offered a job at the University of Iowa. Barry took
the job and moved to Iowa City with Bev. Shortly after, Bill Sackter
moved to Iowa, too.

Originally, Bill was going to stay in Minneapolis when the Morrows moved.
But when the possibility emerged that Bill might be sent back to a state
hospital. Barry and Bev decided to invite him to Iowa City to live.

But what was Bill to do here? Barry recalls that a number of job ideas
were tried before the coffeeshop emerged. Originally, the coffeeshop
was little more than a closet -- and served only coffee. It opened in 1975.

The first location didn't last long. It was too small. So the coffeeshop
was moved to another room (321 North Hall) where it still is today on
the university campus.

Originally, North Hall was built as a school. Elementary school classrooms
were on the third floor; high school classrooms on the second floor. (The
university closed this "lab school" in the 1970s and social work moved in
shortly after. Also in the building are art education, the center for the
book and a dance theater.)

The coffeeshop is now located in what was once the kindergarten. The
"cubbies" remain from those years. Barry Morrow remembers it had been used as
for social work classes before being converted to the coffeeshop. It
was after the move that the coffeeshop added its second item -- popcorn.

Barry went on to write two screenplays about Bill -- "Bill," which
premiered in 1981, and "Bill On His Own," which premiered in 1983. Bill
Sackter died shortly before the opening of the second.

Barry today lives in Santa Barbara, California and still works as a
screenwriter. His best-known work is probably "Rainman.

BILL ADDED TO ARCHIVE
OF "FAMOUS IOWANS"

Did you know that Bill Sackter is included on a list of "Famous
Iowans?" Developed by the Des Moines Register, this online archive
includes dozens of people with Iowa roots.

The newspaper calls Sackter a "role model for the handicapped." He'sne
of the few on the list who wasn't born in Iowa. (Bill was a native of
Minnesota.)
Other notable Iowans on the list include:

+Actors Donna Reed, Gary Cooper and Fran Allison
+Native American leader Black Hawk and civil rights activist Edna
Griffin.
+Artist Grant Wood and composer Meredith Willson
+Columnists Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren
+Labor leader John L. Lewis and pollster George Gallup
+Suffrage leader Carrie Chapman Catt, evangelist Billy Sunday and
artist Corita Kent.

You can read the Register's biography of Sackter and other "Famous
Iowans" on the newspaper's website: http://www.desmoinesregister.com

REACTIONS TO THE
BILL BIOGRAPHY

If you'd like to know more about Bill, check out "The Unlikely
Celebrity," a biography of Sackter published in 1999 by Southern
Illinois University Press. It's written by Tom Walz, a retired
University of Iowa social work professor who was head of the School of
Social Work at the time Bill came to Iowa. Tom played an instrumental
role in the launching of the coffeeshop.

"Unlikely Celebrity" has introduced many new people to the story of
Bill. "This is a truly inspirational book," writes Shannon Brown, a
college student who read the story for a Presentation College (SD)
class. He particularly liked the writing style, which includes
sections of recreated dialogue in which Bill tells parts of his own
story. "As I was reading I could feel the emotions that Bill was going
through...especially the pain he was feeling."

Shannon also says the book can "help social workers understand
individuals who are mentally challenged."

Copies of the book are available at Uptown Bill's and through any
independent bookseller.

Inspiration: Bill Sackter and beyond

At times it seems the struggle for just and tolerant communities is too overwhelming. We look around and see so many obstacles: poverty, intolerance, even indifference. We are on the verge of losing hope.

At times like these, I think of Bill Sackter. I've found him to be an extraordinary source of hope and inspiration. He spent nearly half a century in the old Faribault State Hospital in Minnesota, completely cut off from family, friends and community. But he emerged with his spirit intact.

It's that remarkable spirit he brought to us here in Iowa City. It's that same spirit he shared wherever he went. It's also the spirit which Barry Morrow captured in the two movies, "Bill" and "Bill On His Own."

I talked about this spirit of Bill at a service learning conference awhile back. I was responding to this question: How does one keep hope alive? And this one: How can one find the strength to continue social and community work despite the obstacles and the failures?

In response, I offered five ideas, ideas for restoring and sustaining hope.

1. Places
John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, spent much of his life trying to protect areas of wilderness so they could continue to serve as places of inspiration for future generations. Paul Gruchow described this as the "necessity of empty places." Wallace Stegner said this is a "geography of hope."

Of course, not all of the places which restore the soul are rural, something
acknowledged in the Beatles' tune: "There are places I remember..." I think each of us has places we go to restore hope. For myself, there are five which come to mind: Field of Dreams in Dyers ville, Iowa, Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, Alum Rock Park in San Jose, Jane Addams' gravesite in Cedarville, Illinois and the Pacific Ocean behind the San Francisco Zoo.

2. Music
Music has the power to restore. My inspirations range from Pachabel to Led Zeppelin, from Mozart to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The best gifts I have received in the last couple of years have been "home brew" CDs of music.

3. Friends
Hanging out with friends is a way to restore and sustain hope, especially friends who are engaged in similar struggles. There are friends I call and say: "Remind me again, why are we doing this."

4. Youth
Listening -- really listening to young people -- is another way to restore hope. I am impressed not only by the idealism of youth, but also by their persistence; not only by their "sense of wonder," but also by their practicality.

5. Thoughtful moments
You may call it meditation, contemplation or even prayer. But these are times when I am able to clear away the clutter of life and consider the "meaning of life" stuff. It could be in concert with any of the other four ways of sustaining hope or on its own. Recently, these moments have come while rereading "Frannie and Zooey" and the Letters of Jane Addams.

That's what I have come up with. Have some additional ideas? I'd be interested in hearing from you.

How this blog got its start

IT'S been nearly 15 years since I received my first e-mail. But I still remember
the thrill of seeing the note from Cathy Madison that day when I opened my
electronic mailbox. At that time, I was a subscriber to a service called
Prodigy, originally a joint venture of IBM and Sears.

When I returned to Minneapolis in 1993, I introduced e-mail to students at the
high school where I was teaching. I thought it could be a way to stimulate
writing. Students were assigned a "correspondent" somewhere in the US and were
to write every week or so. These correspondents were friends of mine who had
agreed to participate in the project.

The students dove into the project. Every morning they would rush to the
computer to check their e-mail box.

Students also found other people to write to in addition to the "official"
correspondents. I recall that two students even found an e-mail address for my
daughter Molly who was then away at college. They e-mailed questions to her
asking what I was really like.

Shortly after that, we started experimenting with an electronic newspaper.

What were then innovations gradually became commonplace. Now e-mail and the World Wide Web are a part of school at every level.

THIS SAME electronic evolution has occurred in workplaces, too. I was working
at the Milpitas POST newspaper when we started getting e-mail in 1992. I think
our first message was a list of soccer scores.

Here, too, it took several years for e-mail to become a regular part of life at
newspapers. Now it's an essential tool and many papers include the e-mail
addresses of reporters at the end of every story.

E-mail newsletters were still something new when the Bill's Coffeeshop
Newsletter started in 2000. Now many coffeeshops and other businesses have
newsletters like this one.

This "Abilities Awareness" weblog began as a supplement to the educational mission of Bil's Coffeeshop. It has also become a discussion forum for students enrolled in "Disabilities" classes.

Parents' wisdom brought changes

THERE were always parents who doubted the wisdom of separating individuals with disabilities from their families and communities. But it was not until the late 1950s that the voices of those who questioned institutions like Faribault State Hospital were listened to in the state legislatures and meeting rooms of professional societies.

ARC was one of those voices. Originally, Association for Retarded Children, this group brought together parents and others who wanted services for children with disabilities provided in communities. Finally, in the 1960s, Minnesota and otherstates began changing their policies to encourage community-based programs. In addition, state hospitals started sending residents back to their communities.

Bill Sackter was sent back "home" to Mineapolis in 1964. In theory, that was a good idea. But Bill hadn't lived in Mineapolis in nearly half a century, and had neither family nor friends in the city. Resettling in the city was a struggle for Bill. (You can find some of the stories of this struggle in "The Unlikely Celebrity," a biography of Bill by Tom Walz.)

Eventually, Bill settled into a job at the Minikahda Country Club on the edge of Minneapolis. That's where he met Barry and Bev Morrow. You may know the story from there, particularly if you have seen the movie "Bill."

Bill and the Morrows became friends and eventually ended up in Iowa City, where Barry had been offered a job at the University of Iowa. The coffeeshop opened as a job for Bill.

But it quickly became much more. There was something about the spirit of Bill
which filled the coffeeshop.

That same spirit still fills the coffeeshop, even though Bill died more than 20 years ago. But that's another story.

Extraordinary impact of Bill's story

The story of Bill Sackter and Bill's Coffeeshop continues to have an impact,
especially around the Midwest. Whenever I am introduced as connected to Bill's Coffeeshop, people ask me how the coffeeshop is doing and then tell me a
story. It could be a story about Bill, a story about the coffeeshop, or a
story about one of the Bill movies.

Recently, for example, I met a woman who had been a volunteer at Faribault state hospital more than 30 years ago. That's the place in Minnesota where Bill had lived for nearly half a century. She had known the story of Bill, and had seen the movie. But she did not know that the hospital where she had volunteered was the one where Bill had lived.

I remember once meeting a man who was delighted to discover that Mickey Rooney had played Bill in the two movies, "Bill" and "Bill on his own." In his late 70s, the man had been a great fan of Rooney's early movies. "I grew up in an orphanage and loved watching his movies," he told me. He also knew the story of Bill, though he had not seen the movies. He was thrilled to learn that the lives of Rooney and Bill Sackter had converged twice.

Occasionally, people have assumed I am Bill. I have even been introduced as Bill. I chuckle at that, and point out that if he were still alive, Bill would now be in his 90s.

All of this is an astonishing legacy for a man who died more than 20 years ago (1983). Who would have guessed that Bill Sackter's story and Bill's coffeeshop would have had such an influence. This legacy will be explored in a forthcoming documentary, scheduled to be released later this year. "Bill Sackter: A Special Spirit" includes recently discovered film footage of Bill, plus a look at the coffeeshop today and interviews with people who knew Bill. Look for more details on the film's release in the fall.

Contributions invited to Bill's Coffeeshop Fund

For over 30 years Bill's Coffeeshop has provided employment opportunities for
individuals with disabilities and service learning opportunities for students.
Coffeeshop sales and financial donations from support the work of the
coffeeshop. You can support this work through a donation to the Bill's
Coffeeshop Fund, established by the UI School of Social Work. Look for a
brochure about the fund in the coffeeshop. Donations may be sent by mail to:
Bill's Coffeeshop Fund, University of Iowa Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa
City, IA 52244.

Coffeeshop brings back pleasant memories

Step through the door of Wild Bill's Coffeeshop and you're surrounded by
memories of the spirit of Bill Sackter. As you come in, look up and to the right at the big black and white picture. There's Bill in the middle with the cowboy hat. To his left is Mickey Rooney, who played Bill in the two movies, "Bill" and "Bill On His Own." This photo was taken during the filming of "Bill On His Own." At the bottom right in the photo is Barry Morrow, Bill's friend and the screenwriter. On the far left is a young Helen Hunt, who plays a social work student in the movie. One recent visitor was delighted to discover Rooney played Bill. He was a great fan of the actor, but did not know of this film role.

High on the wall in a back corner is a framed poster which reads "God Bless You, Bill." It is covered with signatures -- social work students and staff and other friends of Bill. The poster was created shortly after Bill's death in 1983. The signatures are fading, but on one recent day two visitors were still able to find their names.

On an interior door is a poster reading "War is not healthy for children and other living things." That was the slogan created by Another Mother for Peace, a group founded in 1967 to oppose US military involvement in Vietnam. There were 15 founders, including Iowa native Donna Reed, best-known for the TV show of her name, and Barbara Hammer Avedon, creator of the Cagney and Lacey TV show. One recent visitor warmly recalled receiving a medallion with the "War is not healthy..." slogan from her college boyfriend in the late '60s.

As you leave the coffeeshop, glance at the "Rainman" poster on the left inthe doorway. Barry Morrow also wrote the screenplay for this movie. His
inspiration for the autistic savant in the movie was a young man he met at a conference a number of years ago. Barry had been invited to the conference to talk about Bill. Barry says this chance encounter with the young man is another example of why "I owe all my success to Bill."

Bill's story guides California theater

Editor's note: Mary Galde contacted Bill's Coffeeshop for help finding copies of "Bill" and "Bill On His Own." She wanted to show the films to actors preparing for a production of "The Boys Next Door," a play about four men who live in a group home. The story has many similarities to the story of the group home where Bill Sackter lived in Iowa City.

Galde was director of this show, which was presented at Broadway West Theatre in Fremont, Calif. (For more information, visit this website: www.broadway-west.com). She describes the link between Bill's Coffeeshop and this production of "The Boys Next Door" in the "Director's Notes" she wrote for the program. Here is an excerpt.

By MARY GALDE

Theatre is at its best when it entertains and also educates. "The Boys Next Door," a wonderful play by Tom Griffin, does just that. It's compelling entertaining, uplifting and potentially life altering. Griffin worked closely with the mentally handicapped for years and obviously understands that they share the same diversity of experience as anyone: love, joy, laughter, humor, sorrow, pain and difficulty. The difference is that the life journey of the mentally handicapped is more difficult because of society's tendency to discount them, to throw them away without looking to see what's inside

My journey through the weeks of helping the actors has awakened in me an awareness and compassion that wasn't fully there before. My hope is that you will enjoy tonight's performance, but moreso that you will find yourself more accepting, more aware.

Preparing for the roles of the characters in the play requires a good deal of research. Helping with this research were two movies, "Bill" and "Bill On His Own," starring Mickey Rooney. They are true stories about the life of Bill Sackter -- his struggles, friendships, and eventual position at Wild Bill's Coffeeshop, a project of the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa. Although 30 years have passed, the coffeeshop is still a part of campus life in Iowa City.

Tom Gilsenan, former editor of the Milpitas Post, forwarded copies of both movies for us to use.

An invitation to 'Dinner with Bill'

Bill Sackter's life and legacy have been celebrated in two movies, a book and
dozens of articles in magazines and newspapers. His spirit is also celebrated
in the many Bill Sackter awards given each year by ARC chapters around the US.

But there are a host of other ways in which Bill is remembered and his spirit extended. We recently heard about a very creative celebration of Bill which takes place annually in Jacksonville, Florida. In that city, members of the
community are invited each year to a "Dinner with Bill."

That's the name the ARC chapter in Jacksnoville has given to its annual event honoring employers for their support of individuals with disabilities. Two small companies and two large ones are honored each year at this dinner. The dinner is also a major fundraiser for the Jacksonville ARC.

CHECK OUT THESE RESOURCES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BILL

Like to learn more about Bill Sackter? Like to have recommendations to give to friends and family on where to learn about his life and legacy? Here are several suggestions:

Uptown Bill's Small Mall. www.uptownbills.org. Crosstown cousin to the original Wild Bill's Coffeeshop. Located at the corner of Gilbert and Court on the south edge of downtown Iowa City. Includes not only a coffeeshop, but also a bookstore and other businesses.

Bill Sackter: A Special Spirit. www.xapinteractive.org. A new film about the life and legacy of Bill Sackter. Iowa City filmmaker Lane Wyrick is nearly finished with the film which includes interviews with Tom Walz and Barry Morrow. You can see a five minute preview of the film at this website.

ARC of the United States. www.thearc.org. A leading voice in the field of abilities awareness. National umbrella organization for state ARC groups. Presents an award each year in memory of Bill Sackter.

Archive of Famous Iowans. www.desmoinesregister.com/extras. The Des Moines Register has created an electronic archive of famous Iowans which includes Bill Sackter. You can find Bill be using the alphabetical index or by searching the "Activist" category.

Wild Bill's Coffeeshop. www.uiowa.edu/~socialwk/bills. This is the actual place where Bill Sackter worked until his death in 1983. The website includes pictures of the coffeeshop, a menu and an archive of the Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter.

Finding out more about Bill's old neighborhood

Bill Sackter spent his early childhood in a mostly Jewish neighborhood just
north of downtown Mineapolis. His family lived in a two story wood-frame building on Aldrich Avenue North (not far from where Olson Highway passes by today). The Sackters lived upstairs; their grocery store was downstairs.

The Sackter market was one of dozens of small markets owned by Jewish families in Minneapolis. In fact, there were Jewish grocers in communities all over the Midwest, from Duluth, Minnesota to Aberdeen, South Dakota and from Sioux City, Iowa to Grand Forks, North Dakota.

If you visit Bill's old neighborhood today, you would have a hard time finding any trace of what was once there. Successive waves of redevelopment and an interstate highway have transformed the area and obliterated its past. The latest wave of redevelopment even changed the streets. The grid pattern of streets often associated with cities has been placed with curved streets in a development of apartments and townhouses.

There are places, though, where you can see pictures of Bill's neighborhood as it existed in the early 20th century. One place is in the book "Unlikely Celebrity." Written by retired UI professor Tom Walz, the book tells Bill's life story and includes a number of pictures of Bill's neighborhood. Copies are for sale at Uptown Bill's in Iowa City and through independent bookstores around the Midwest.

You can also see some photos of the old neighborhood in a book called "And Prairie Dogs Weren't Kosher," a history of Jewish communities in the Upper Midwest. Written by Linda Mack Schloff, it includes not only Minneapolis but also communities all over Minnesota and the Dakotas. Published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press, it can be found in many libraries.

Another place you can see some pictures of the north Minneapolis neighborhood where Bill Sackter lived is an online exhibit created by the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest. Called "Unpacking on the prairie: Jewish women in the upper Midwest," it includes dozens of photos and stories about families like Bill's. It's at this website: www.jewishwomen.exhibit.org