Coffeeshop Bill was only seven

BILL Sackter, founder of Bill's Coffeeshop, was only seven when he was sent to the state mental hospital in Faribault, Minnesota. Bill was sent there shortly after his father died in 1920.

Bill was a resident of Faribault State Hospital for 46 years. It was a giant institution with roots almost as old as the state itrself. Minnesota became a state in 1858; the very first session of the state legislature authorized the establishment of centers for the "training and care of citizens who suffered mental and physical disabilities and for children who are unable to care for themselves."

The "state asylum" opened in 1863. At first, it was a residence for the "deaf, dumb and blind." In 1879, an experimental program for "idiotic and feeble-minded children" was added. Two years later, this became a permanent programunder the name "School for Idiots and Imbeciles."

By the time Bill Sackter arrived at Faribault in 1920, the state hospital had grown into a small city. There were hundreds of people from all over Minnesota living there. The institution continued to grow during most of Bill's years there. By 155, there were more than 3,300 residents.

ONCE sent to Faribault, few individuals ever left. And after they died, many were buried in a cemeter on the state hsopital grounds.

Minnesota was not alone in removing individuals with disabilities from mainstream society. Every other state (and many countries) had similar institutions. In South Dakota, the federal government built such an institution solely for Native Americans.

These institutions were based on a philosophythat such segregation was a good idea. A historical marker on I-35 in southern Minnesota explains that the Faribault state hospital was "established to provide students with activities and training, while protecting them from the slights and rebuffs of the outside world." (The marker is located at the Straight River rest stop between Albert Lea and Cannon Falls.)

COFFEE QUOTES TO KEEP YOU PERKING

DeJa Brew: The feeling that you've had this coffee before.

Coffee strong enough to defend itself -- Slogan at Hard Times Cafe, Minneapolis

Drink coffee: Do stupid things faster with more energy

Coffee! Is the planet shaking or is it just me?

Coffee isn't helping. Get the jumper cables.

Bill Sackter's early years in Minneapolis

Bill's Coffeeshop in Iowa City is named for Bill Sackter. What was his life like? How did he get to Iowa? It's quite a story.

Once I started a talk to a young audience by telling a little about Bill
before giving his name. I said he was Jewish, grew up very poor and later
became quite famous. A hand went up in the audience. I stopped and called on the young listener. I just want you to know that I already know about Jesus, she said.

Bill, for whom Bill's Coffeeshop is named, started his life in a neighborhood of 19th century wood frame homes just north of downtown Minneapolis. These
homes were located along dirt streets and were already old when Bill was born in 1913. In fact, these were some of the oldest buildings in the city at that
time.

Bill grew up above his parents'' grocery store on Aldrich Avenue North. His parents had emigrated from Russia to the United States like many of the neighbors. And like most of the neighbors, the Sackters were Jewish.

Bill's neighborhood was one of the earliest centers of Jewish culture in Minneapolis. It was here that the first synagogues in the city got their start. It was here, too, that kosher markets and Yiddish theater flourished.

And it was here that the tradition of Jewish social service began in Minneapolis. Families in the neighborhood developed their own social welfare system which was financed by a "tithe" of ten cents per week. This provided not only aid for the poorest families, but also supported a community center
and programs for youth

All of this is gone now. In fact, Bill's neighborhood is gone now --
obliterated by successive waves of urban renewal which began in the 1930s in
Minneapolis.

But here and there, one can still find signs of the Jewish community where
Bill grew up. Pastor Paul's Disciples Ministry now occupies one of the former synagogues in the old neighborhood. It is probably the only Christian church in the city with two Stars of David on its front facade.

The Lincoln Del, which began as a bakery just a few blocks from Bill's house,
once displayed many old pictures of this neighborhood in its St. Louis Park
location. But it, too, is now gone. You can find some of those photos in a history book called "And prairie dogs weren't kosher."

The history of Bill's neighborhood is also recalled in two stage plays. One, titled "King of the kosher grocers," tells the story of a Jewish grocer much like Bill's dad. It was written by Joe Minjares, who contacted Bill's Coffeeshop awhile ago to report that he had just recently realized that he knew Bill back in the early 1960s. Joe's mom was a friend of Bill's landlady when Bill lived near Bloomington and 26th Avenue in south Minneapolis.

The other play, "Good Evening! It's a city celebration," includes scenes about Bill and his neighborhood. It was presented in 1998 at the Capri Theatre in Minneapolis in cooperation with the American Variety Theatre Company. Portions of that show were reprised in a 2003 show called "Good evening from Bill's coffeeshop." That show was presented in Bill's Coffeeshop itself.

There's a lot more to tell about Bill and the coffeeshop. We'll have more stories next week.<