The courage of Bill Schalk was evident even at the ripe age of 18. In 1962, Bill and group of 11 classmates from Coe College saw the horrific news of hate-filled segregation and racism in the South, and they decided they were not going to sit on their hands and do nothing. They hopped in cars and drove to Mississippi to spend two weeks demonstrating to the black and white community that not all white faces agreed with the ugly nature of human bigotry and oppression. They lived on Tougaloo Southern Christian College campus, a historically black college, where they worked and learned from students as well as civil rights leaders about the true challenges that faced integration and equal rights. Bill and seven of his classmates who were a part of this experience wrote the book "Even Our Friendship Was Illegal" to share with the world what they experienced and learned from their journey.
In this week's episode, we interview Bill Schalk about this experience. Bill Schalk, a Chicago native, earned his bachelor’s degree from Coe in 1965, majoring in political science. After graduation, Bill joined the U.S. Navy and went to flight school in Pensacola, Florida. He was a naval flight officer who made seven aircraft carrier deployments, including two combat deployments to Vietnam, and one as an exchange officer with the Royal Navy in Scotland. He was a career naval officer, retiring in 1986 with the rank of commander.
Bill then attended Marquette University Law School where he graduated in 1989. He served Racine County as an assistant district attorney until his retirement in 1997. During this period, Bill prosecuted several thousand cases and took several hundred to trial. After retiring, Bill was elected to the Racine Unified School District Board of Education in Racine, Wisconsin. During his nine years on the Board, he served as president, vice president and treasurer helping to fight for underprivileged kids and working to create an equitable education for all students and families.
Bill has truly lived a significant life, and we were honored to hear his stories and advice for future generations. Enjoy!
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