Bill Porter, American hero, rest in peace

I went to Bill Porter’s funeral on Friday to pay my respects to a truly great American hero.  Bill passed away on December 3.   He was the Portland door-to-door salesman with cerebral palsy who never let his disability be used as an excuse.  

Tom Hallman Jr., who first brought Bill's story to us in 1995 wrote a fine obituary on Bill.

Like Bill, I was born with cerebral palsy.  His cp was similar to mine, but I think Bill's speech was more affected than mine, as also were the involuntary motions in the rest of his body worse than mine.  

Bill's mom told him he could accomplish whatever he set his mind to do.  My  mom and dad, my whole family, brought me up to believe I could achieve any goal I set my mind to do.

At his service a story was told of how he went to the employment agency every day for months only to be told that he should stay home, that they had no job for him.  Bill's father was a salesman.  The only advice Bill could remember from his dad was "Get a job!"

After many turn-downs, his tenacious never-give-up spirit spirit got him a job with the JR Watkins Company, with the toughest door-to-door route in Portland hilliest area.

Bill walked ten miles a day, going door to door, selling household products.  He was a tenacious salesman, never taking “no” for a final answer.  A “no” today might be a “yes” the next week, or the week after, or the week after that...you get the idea.

I went to Oregon State.  My favorite job to date is the one I had as a student in college, as a copyeditor on OSU’s Daily Barometer, with a weekly humor column titled “Witticisms.”

After college I had a brief stint as an assistant editor with World Christian Magazine, but my support ran low and the magazine went under.  I moved home and had to start looking for a job.

No one told me to stay home and collect a check as Bill was told, but that message was getting through to me with the rejection I was getting.  I sent lots of resumes with no response.  I worked with Vocational Rehabilitation.  

Unlike Bill who spent his life getting around on his feet, I rode a three-wheeled bike through college.  After college, I was able to get my driver’s license with the help of Voc Rehab.

One day I volunteered to make a spreadsheet to track volunteer hours for the volunteer coordinator in the Hillsboro Department of Human Services office.  That led to a desk job with Child Welfare.  That was 24 years ago.  Many different desks, but still with Child Welfare.

Less than a year after starting my job, I was married to Jodie.  She has cerebral palsy too.  In 1995 we had a son.

When I compare my life to Bill’s life, my life seems really soft.  Usually, though, I am not comparing my life to Bill’s.  

I have a theory that as part of the human condition, we all, at times, wish we had another person’s life, but if we had that person’s life, we would rather have our own life back.

From what I have read and heard about Bill’s life, he was not one to sit still long enough to worry about what could have been if his life had been different.  For more than 45 years he did door-to-door sales.  Six days a week, with Saturday being his day to call back on customers who weren't home when he went through earlier in the week.

On Sundays, Bill was in church.  Rev. Zach told us at Bill’s service how Bill always sat in the same pew, and how he always walked up front for communion, even though it was a struggle for him.

There were three beautiful bouquets in front of the sanctuary to honor Bill.  One of the bouquets was from the Watkins Company.  Another bouquet was from the Brady family, the family who adopted Bill as their own after his mother did.  The Brady family was up front singing beautifully together for the service.  Kathy Brady shared wonderful insights into Bill’s life.

A third bouquet was from an American who is living in Shanghai, calling Bill a “great American hero.”  Bill really was.  I love the idea of naming the new light rail bridge across the Willamette the “Bill Porter Bridge”.  Bill deserves to be honored and remembered.

Bill Porter was a great American.

Rest in peace Bill.