BILL'S IN OMAHA? * ALFRED PEET

A group in Omaha, Nebraska has inquired about using Bill Sackter's name for their coffeeshop. Currently, Bill's name is attached to just two coffeeshops: the original Bill's in North Hall on the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City and Uptown Bill's, also in Iowa City and across town from the original coffeeshop.

(The Bill's name is also used by a social service agency in a town in Italy. But that's a story for another time.)

The Nebraska venture could be a way of spreading the spirit of Bill further around the Midwest. Tom Walz imagines this as just the beginning. He sees other coffeeshops establishing "affiliations" with Bill's. Walz, now a retired social work professor, was a key figure in the establishment of the original Bill's Coffeeshop over 30 years ago. He was head of the UI School of Social Work at the time the coffeeshop emerged as a job possibility for Bill Sackter. The coffeeshop began in a room not much bigger than a closet and later moved to 321 North Hall, where it still is today. (North Hall was originally a school; Bill's was the kindergarten room.)

Spreading around the Bill's "concept" could be more than just educational, Walz says. It could also attract support from foundations interested in supporting the idea of abilities awareness.

Stay tuned for further developments.

HE WAS MAN BEHIND

PEET'S ESPRESSO

All over the Midwest you can find Peet's Espresso coffee blend in grocery stores. Alfred Peet, the man behind Peet's Coffee, died at age 87. He was a Dutch immigrant who played a key role in reinvigorating coffeeshops in the US. He was the founder of Peet's Coffee & Tea in Berkeley, Calif. His coffeeshop became a favorite hangout for faculty and students at the University of Calif. and inspired many others to open similar coffeeshops. Among those he inspired were the founders of Starbucks. You can find out more about Peet's, and the coffee company he founded, at www.peets.com