Bill Sackter



Who is Bill Sackter?

William (Bill) Sackter was born in 1913 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Bill was the third child of a poor Jewish family who had immigrated from Lithuania. In 1919, his father died of the notorious flu epidemic. Mentally challenged, Bill was identified as a slow learner in his first year in elementary school and was given an IQ exam. His scores fell below the standard for being allowed to remain in regular school. At age seven, in 1920, Bill was involuntarily committed to Faribault Institution for Epileptics and Idiots. He remained in their custody as an "inmate" for the next 45 years.

Bill was eventually returned to the Twin Cities and placed in a board and care home. Six years later he was befriended by a college student, Barry Morrow. As a result of this friendship, Barry assumed legal guardianship of Bill. Later the two traveled to Iowa to fulfill an invitation for employment. Bill obtained a job running a small coffee shop in the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa. His coffee shop, called Uptown Bill's, later came famous as a result of several films about Bill's life.

During the ensuing decade, Bill became a local legend in Iowa City, the hometown of the University of Iowa. His fame was based on his gentleness of character and love of people. The stories about his days in Iowa City were so touching and poignant that his guardian felt they needed to be told beyond the local community. This led to two CBS television movies about Bill's life - "Bill" (1981) and "Bill On His Own" (1983). The movie, "Bill", was an award winning movie, garnering best movie by Golden Globes and two Emmy's, including best screenwriter for his guardian, Barry Morrow. His celebrity was later recorded in a biography of his life, "The Unlikely Celebrity", by Thomas Walz.

Bill died in 1983, but his coffee shop in North Hall on the University of Iowa campus was continued as a memorial. Over three decades later, it still exists in the same location and is still run by persons with disabilities. Bill was further memorialized by the founding of a small mall of businesses managed and operated by persons with disabilities called Uptown Bill's Small Mall. Sponsored by a non-profit foundation, The Extend the Dream Foundation, The Small Mall houses four of nine sponsored businesses managed and operated in Iowa City.

You can find more about Bill on www.billsackter.com.


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