Bill Sackter
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Bill Sackter (April 13, 1913 – June 16, 1983) was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1913, the son of Sam and Mary Sackter, Russian immigrants who ran a grocery store. He was the subject of two television movies.
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[edit] Early life
Sackter had troubles at school, and in 1920 his mother placed him in the Faribault State School for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic. Sackter never saw his mother or two sisters again, remaining there for the next 45 years. He was diagnosed as retarded, although diagnoses performed decades later would prove his intelligence was near normal. He was never taught to read or write or even how to use a telephone. It was during his early years where he developed his love of apples and fried chicken while working on a farm
[edit] Discovery
In 1964, when new light was being shed on the treatment of the mentally ill and disabled, Sackter was moved to a halfway house and worked odd jobs to support himself. He became a handyman at a country club, where Barry Morrow, a filmmaker, and his wife Bev, befriended him. Mr. Morrow began slowly to make life a bit more comfortable for Bill, getting him new dentures and becoming his dependable "buddy." Morrow became his guardian, and when he took a post at the University of Iowa, Sackter followed him to Iowa City and became the sole proprietor of Wild Bill's Coffeeshop on the campus. This job delighted him. He interacted with numerous students, staff and faculty members and was soon was adored by all.
[edit] Recognition
Sackter was named Handicapped Iowan of the Year in 1976, attending a ceremony in Washington, D.C. President Jimmy Carter gave him special recognition in 1979. Sackter's story was told in two television movies. Bill was presented in December 1981, with Sackter portrayed by Mickey Rooney in a role that brought him an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe. The movie also won an Emmy as outstanding drama special. A sequel, Bill: On His Own, costarring Helen Hunt, was released two years later. Sackter's story is also told in the book The Unlikely Celebrity: Bill Sackter's Triumph Over Disability by Thomas Walz. Sackter died in his sleep in 1983.
A new feature-length documentary, A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story, was completed in late 2007.[1] Created by filmmaker Lane Wyrick, the documentary explores the life of Sackter using historic photographs, film and video footage, along with interviews with those closest to Bill. Much of the archival footage was taken by Barry Morrow as early as 1972. The documentary shows how Sackter was allowed to develop as an individual and become an important leader for people with disability, with a little help from his friends.
[edit] References
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