JUST ONE OF MANY * SATURDAY NIGHT MUSIC * POETRY AND OPEN MIC * Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter * Vol. 12 * June 5, 2011

BILL WAS JUST ONE OF MANY

IN STATE MENTAL HOSPITALS

BILL Sackter spent nearly half a century at a state mental hospital in Minnesota. He was sent there as a seven year old child in the 1920s and remained there for 46 years. Sackter, for whom Bill's Coffee Shop is named, was a resident at Faribault State Hospital, a giant institution with roots almost as old as the state of Minnesota. 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 were unable to care for themselves."

The "state asylum" opened in 1863. It first 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 program under the name of "School for Idiots and Imbeciles." Later names for the center included "Minnesota Institute for Defectives" and "School for the Feeble-Minded."  In 1885, another program, the "State School for Neglected and Dependent Children," was added. It was located in the nearby community of Owatonna.

 By the time Bill Sackter arrived at Faribault in the 1920s, there were hundreds of people living there from all over Minnesota. And the institution continued to grow during most of Bill's years there. By 1955, there were more than 3,300 residents at Faribault. Once sent there, few individuals ever left Faribault. After they died, they usually were buried in a cemetery on the state hospital grounds.

Minnesota was not alone in removing individuals with disabilities from mainstream society. Every state in the US had similar institutions -- and so did many other countries. These institutions were based on a philosophy that such segregation was a good idea.

An historical marker on I-35 in Minnesota explains that Faribault state hospital was "established to provide students with activities and training, while protecting them from the slights and rebuffs of the outside world." (This marker is located at the Straight River rest stop between Albert Lea and Cannon Falls.)

THERE were always parents and others who doubted the wisdom of separating individuals with disabilities from their families and communities. But it was not until the late 1950s that their voices were loud enough to be heard in the chambers of the legislatures and the meeting rooms of professional societies.

By the 1960s, conventional professional wisdom shifted to support the idea of having individuals with disabilities stay in their communities. Counties stopped sending individuals to state hospitals. Then came a series of decisions to return to communities those who had been institutionalized.

Bill Sackter returned to Minneapolis in the early 1960s. He got a job working in the kitchen of the restaurant at the

Minikahda Country Club. It was there he met Bev and Barry Morrow; Bev was a waitress at the restaurant.

Hundreds of other men and women left Faribault in the 1960s and returned to Minneapolis and other communities around the state. (The same process was repeated in Iowa, South Dakota and other states.) Then in 1998, the state hospital at Faribault was closed for good.

DOCUMENTARY FILM CELEBRATES

LIFE AND LEGACY OF BILL SACKTER

Bill Sackter's life at Faribault State Hospital is one facet of the documentary film about his life and legacy. "A Friend Indeed" also recalls how Bill met Bev and Barry Morrow, the beginning of Bill's Coffeeshop and the two "Bill" movies. The film continues with Bill's legacy today in Wild Bill's Coffeeshop and Uptown Bill's. The film is available on DVD at Uptown Bill's for $20. 

HERE'S A LOOK AT

EVENTS IN JUNE

Great concerts, weekly Open Mics, an evening of poetry and more are scheduled at Uptown Bill's during June. Here's a look:

Wednesday, June 8

4 pm. Combined Efforts Theatre. Organizational meeting for summer production.   

          (Information: www.CombinedEfforts.org)

6 pm. Readers and Writers Group. 7 pm. Open Mic (Spoken Word)

Thursday, June 9

6 pm. Art & Music Night. 7 pm. Open Mic (Singer/Songwriter)

Saturday, June 11

7 pm. Saturday Night Music with Lauren Bevineau, singer/songwriter from Iowa City.

Wednesday, June 15

6 pm. Readers & Writers Group. 7 pm. Open Mic (Spoken Word)

Thursday, June 16

6 pm. Art & Music Night. 7 pm. Open Mic (Singer/Songwriter) 

Saturday, June 18

4:30 pm. Irish Sessions return to Uptown Bill's. Great Irish music by a host of local musicians.

7 pm. Rag & Bone Poetry Tour (http://ragandbonepoetry.blogspot.com)

Wednesday, June 22

6 pm. Readers & Writers Group. 7 pm Open Mic (Spoken Word

Thursday, June 23

6 pm. Art & Music Night 7 pm. Open Mic (Singer/Songwriter)

Saturday, June 25

7 pm. Sara Kay presents an evening of soulful rock, folk and jazz. (www.reverbnation.com/sarakay)

For details on these and other events, check our web page at www.uptownbills.org or the Uptown Bill's page on Facebook. For more updates, follow us on Twitter. 

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Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter is a virtual extension of Wild Bill's Coffeeshop and Uptown Bill's Coffee House. Published since 2000, the Newsletter is written by Tom Gilsenan, a former manager of Wild Bill's and now director of Uptown Bill's. You can write to him at tomgilsenan@gmail.com

Wild Bill's Coffeeshop is a project of the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa. It has been a part of campus life in Iowa City for more than 35 years. Located in North Hall, the coffeeshop is open weekdays from 8:30 am. For more information, check the Friends of Bill's Coffeeshop page on Facebook. You can call the coffeeshop at (319) 335-1281. Donations to support the work of the coffeeshop may be sent to: Bill's Coffeeshop Fund, University of Iowa Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, IA 52244. Contributions are tax deductible.

Uptown Bill's is the crosstown cousin of Wild Bill's. Now in it 10th year, it includes a bookstore, performance venue and other businesses in addition to a coffeeshop. Located at 730 S. Dubuque, Uptown Bill's is open every day from 8 am. For more information, check the Uptown Bill's page on Facebook. You can call Uptown Bill's at(319) 339-0401. Donations to support the work of Uptown Bill's may be sent to: Extend the Dream Foundation, Uptown Bill's, 730 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA 52240. Contributions are tax deductible.

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In the spirit of Bill Sackter, Uptown Bill's strives to nurture and encourage a gathering place where people of all abilities are welcome. Find us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Watch us on You Tube: www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PLEE41220297F8D82C

Visit our web page: www.uptownbills.org