Senior stories by Cogir: wild Bill

Transcript

Dave: All right — is that Wild Bill?

Bill: That’s Wild Bill.

Dave: Wild Bill in the cowboy hat. Are you a cowboy guy, Bill?

Bill: Oh yeah, I’ve been country western and everything else all my life.

Dave: Where are you from, Bill?

Bill: Indianapolis, Indiana.

Dave: Are you from a farming town or ranching town?

Bill: No, I’m right in Indianapolis. My dad, in 1933 and 1934, was a riding mechanic in the Indianapolis 500. In ’34 and ’35 he was a riding mechanic.

Dave: Imagine during that era — what stories have you heard?

Bill: One story was they wanted my dad to drive one year instead of being a mechanic. He told them no — he was satisfied where he was. The guy who drove instead blew a tire, wrecked, and was killed. My dad was glad he didn’t take it.

Dave: Your dad must have been a great driver.

Bill: He was just a riding mechanic — but to get the offer to drive, he had to have skills. The drivers he worked with must have given him a good go. Whenever they worked on a car, they had to take it out and try it to make sure it was working right.

Dave: So tell me about Bill. What were you doing growing up in Indiana?

Bill: Not a whole lot — causing trouble. I quit school when I was 15. They had changed the law for school age from 16 to 15 that year, but raised it back to 16 after too many dropouts. By then, I was already out. I didn’t have more than a 15-year-old’s education.

Dave: Did you go right to work?

Bill: I tried a lot of places. People would ask, “What kind of experience do you have?” I was 15 — what kind of experience could I have? I’ve done about everything — cleaned out outhouses, carried bricks for bricklayers, carried cement, worked at a service station, bookstore, birdcage factory, and RCA Victor.

Dave: Jack of all trades, master of none. I know one thing you’ve done — you’ve gone skydiving.

Bill: Yes — my first time was at 60. My wife’s office crew were going, and I told her it sounded interesting. She said maybe I could go with them. So I did — that was my first jump at 60.

Bill: When I turned 80, all of my kids came. I have a son in Virginia, a daughter in New York, another daughter who was in Montana but is now doing missionary work in Africa with her husband, and a daughter here in California — I delivered her in the front seat of my car.

Dave: You delivered her yourself?

Bill: Yes — no doctor, just me and my wife. I comforted her, caught the baby, gave her a little smack to wake her up. I didn’t have anything to cut the cord with, but by then the police had arrived — and they didn’t have a pair of scissors. They went to get some, but by that time the ambulance came and took care of it.

Bill: They put my wife in the ambulance and, oddly, the baby in the car. We only had two main stoplights in town, and police blocked the intersections so we could get to the base quickly. I tried to keep up with the ambulance at 75 mph, but my old car couldn’t.

Dave: The story has a good ending — everybody healthy?

Bill: Yes.

Dave: Let me ask you about that awesome hat — are you a country music fan?

Bill: Oh yeah. I like Reba, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Charley Pride, Tanya Tucker, Lynn Anderson, George Jones, and Loretta Lynn. I’ve seen a bunch of them in concert.

Dave: We’re doing this interview the Friday before Memorial Weekend. This weekend, if you’re still an auto racing fan, it’s Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 time.

Bill: Yes — both Indy and NASCAR this weekend. I’ve got the Indy 500 set to record. I’ve got four or five NASCAR races I haven’t watched yet.

Dave: There’s a driver this weekend who’s going to try both races in the same day — 1,100 miles. Why is it I drive 50 miles across Phoenix and I’m tired?

Bill: I don’t know how they do it either — blows my mind. I’m not sure of the driver’s name, but I heard about it. I even had my name tattooed on my arm so I wouldn’t forget it.

Dave: Did you get it tattooed upside down so you can read it?

Bill: No — I can read upside down.

Dave: Tell me about living at Cogir Vallejo Hills.

Bill: It’s different than living alone, but it’s a good place. My son was impressed when he visited, and so was I.

Dave: Well, I know this — if I ever need a baby delivered in a car, I’m calling you.

Bill: I’d be glad to help.

Dave: Bill, you take care — thank you.

Bill: Thank you for thinking about me and for doing this.

Summary

Bill was born and raised in Indianapolis, where his father served as a riding mechanic in the Indianapolis 500 during the 1930s. After leaving school at 15, he worked various jobs and eventually took on adventures like skydiving at 60 and 80 years old. Bill is proud of delivering one of his daughters in the front seat of a car, cherishes his large family, and is an avid fan of country music and auto racing. Life in his current community offers him camaraderie and the chance to share stories from a life rooted in resilience, risk-taking, and strong family ties.