“Hey Buddy, I’m Bill” – The UI Library Exhibit.

It was 40 years ago when Iowa City’s very own Bill Sackter passed into eternity. June 16, 1983 – the day when Iowa City’s 70-year old ambassador of goodness died in the early morning hours. According to his landlady Mae Driscoll, Bill was found resting comfortably in his bedroom chair, dressed in his typical blue-jean overalls, and wearing his familiar railroad cap. Apparently, when Bill was late coming to breakfast that morning, Mae knew that something was wrong. Sadly, she was correct.

It’s reported that the Iowa City community loved Bill Sackter so much, that on the day of his funeral, the U.S. flag on Old Capitol flew at half-mast.

Now, here we are – a generation or so later, and sadly, very few know the amazing story of Bill Sackter, and how this one man’s life was used to help transform the way America looks at the those in society with mental challenges and handicaps.

If you are a regular reader of our website, you know that we’ve put together five other web pages that offer a broader overview of Bill Sackter’s life and those Iowa City “buddies” who came alongside him during the last eight years of his life (1975-1983).

*Read more Bill Sackter stories here.*

– ‘Wild Bill’ Sackter – Iowa City’s Friendly Smile.
– 1978 – The Bill Sackter Story.
– Barry Morrow’s Life-Changing Essay – Bill’s Triumph.
– Iowa City’s Man Of Compassion – Thomas Walz.
– Mae Driscoll – Iowa City’s Compassionate Landlady.

That’s why I’m so excited, as an Iowa City historian, to see that there are a handful of women and men on the campus of the University of Iowa who want to make sure we all remember the story of Bill’s Triumph.

Between **August 21, 2023 and December 19, 2023**, **The University of Iowa Library** featured the exhibit: **“Hey Buddy, I’m Bill.”** Held in the **Main Library Gallery** – located on the first floor – just inside the north entrance – visitors experienced a first-hand look at the story of **Bill Sackter** and his triumphant life (1913-1983). See details below…

In mid-November 2023, we had the opportunity to tour the “Hello Buddy, I’m Bill” exhibit, and I was, quite simply, overwhelmed with the magnificent presentation the curators: Jen Knights and Brad Ferrier – have done in assembling this presentation. Here on this page, we’d like to offer you a few pics from the exhibit, along with a bit of commentary. So, here goes…

Bill spent 44 years (1920-1964) at the Faribault State School for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic. There, Sackter was badly mistreated, never being taught to read or write, with no contact from his immediate family. Below are pictures of Bill (age 7) in 1920, and his mother and father, Sam and Mary Sackter. It was Bill’s father’s sudden death in 1920 that forced Mary’s hand in releasing her son to the State of Minnesota.

Life dramatically changed for Bill in 1972 when he met a young, married couple – Barry & Beverly Morrow – who took Bill in as family.

After Barry took a new job as a media consultant with the University of Iowa School of Social Work, Bill finally arrived here in the fall of 1975. From that point forward, with the help of numerous “buddies”, Bill found a whole new purpose for his life, and as those who were around him have said, their lives were transformed as well. Read more here.

From 1976-1978, Bill’s amazing story of transformation was shared via Barry Morrow’s writings, and after winning the Handicapped Iowan of the Year Award (1977), new doors of opportunity opened for Bill and his School of Social Work buddies. Read more here.

The exhibit at the UI Library includes an abundance of material taken from Bill’s life here in Iowa City (1975-1983). Maybe one of my personal favorites was seeing Bill’s harmonica – which was never too far from Bill when it came to his interaction with his many “buddies” around Iowa City.

Bill was a very godly man, and during his time in Iowa City, he practiced his faith regularly, worshiping with his buddy, Tom Walz, at his Catholic church; his landlady, Mae Driscoll, at her Baptist church, and, of course, as a Russian Jew, having his own bar mitzvah (1979) – at age 66 – at his own Jewish synagogue – Agudas Achim Congregation in Iowa City – under the guidance of his rabbi buddy, Jeffrey Portman.

“People are given Hebrew names along with their English names usually at birth, but Bill didn’t know his Hebrew name,” said Rabbi Portman. “So, we called him Simcha – which means ‘happiness,’ since he was a very upbeat, positive person despite his tough life. In lieu of a sermon that a bar mitzvah kid would make, Bill thanked everyone and played his harmonica,” said Portman.

Between 1981 and 1983, Bill’s story became a national headline when the Hollywood actor – Mickey Rooney – played Bill on two made-for-TV movies, “Bill” and “Bill-On His Own”. Read more here.

The movies won both Golden Globe & Emmy awards for Rooney and Barry Morrow, and opened doors for Bill to travel with his buddy Tom Walz, becoming a national spokesman for the handicapped and mentally-challenged community across America.

As the exhibit’s title suggests, Bill, in his own simple way, ended up becoming a “buddy” to many across the nation, winning the hearts of children and adults everywhere. Truly, Bill Sackter, before his passing in 1983, became a national hero.

Through his fame, Bill Sackter helped organizations such as ARC and others to raise the awareness of all Americans toward those around us who, many times, are overlooked or ignored completely because of their handicaps. Bill’s story also brought forth a greater awareness on how poorly individuals like Sackter were treated as they grew up in a society that believed it best if people like Bill would be sent away into state-sponsored institutions, where sadly, many lost their identities and self-worth. One such story here in Iowa City is the Johnson County Poor Farm which was used as a county asylum for the poor and disadvantaged population from 1855 to 1988. Read more here.

Well, that about covers the Bill Sackter exhibit at the UI Library…

You must visit these informative websites listed below. There’s more to these beautiful Bill Sackter stories,,,

Check out the **Hey Buddy Extras** webpage. Here you’ll find a variety of links – from the full-length movie – ***A Friend Indeed: The Bill Sackter Story***, and rare recordings of Bill playing his harmonica, to Barry Morrow’s eulogy at Bill’s funeral in June 1983.

*Check out Wild Bill’s Cup Of Social Justice – the latest attempt by the UI School of Social Work to further the powerful message behind the Bill Sackter story.*

Thank goodness, the good folks who put this amazing exhibit together, plan to develop the entire program into a virtual on-line tour that can be accessed long after the exhibit closes in December 2023. Kudos to curators Jen Knights & Brad Ferrier for your labor of love. You guys rocked it! I’m thinking our buddy, Bill is looking down upon it all and smiling ear to ear!