We've all heard about and perhaps even read the book. You might have watched the spinoff TV show with varying degrees of intrigue, admiration and awe. Oft-times with tongue planted firmly in cheek. That would be amusement.
You might have read about the fellow in Australia who swallowed a sword and then held a sack of potatoes attached to the sword's end. That set a record for most weight dangled from a tongue (Answer: 44 lb., 4.96 oz.).
Then there's Jackie Bibby of Texas. Apparently disdaining the standard rubber duckies, he set a record by sitting with the most rattlesnakes in a bathtub (Answer: 87). And, yes, he lived another day to presumably sit in a bathtub filled with, well, 87 rattlesnakes. Or maybe 88.
There's the record for pogo stick jumping (Answer: 23.11 miles), longest lawn mower ride (Answer: 14,594.5 miles) and longest leg hair (Answer: don't ask).
Of course they are Guinness World Records. And although that organization - with a worldwide brand meaning even natives on lost islands have heard of it - lists its share of absurd, weird, goofy and plain outright creepy among its records keeping, there are many accredited feats involving sheer human will. Salem resident Bill Borrelli is testament to that kind of human spirit. And forget snakes, pogo sticks, lawn mowers and long leg hairs. His own feat is hardly a novelty act.
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The date was June 2, 1932, when 7-year-old Bill Borrelli was handed a nickel by his father to run out and buy a Salem News. Moments later his life was changed forever - he ended up being a page one story in the next edition of the newspaper.
It happened at the old bus station - the Stark Depot - located on Ellsworth Avenue in Salem, not far from the Borrelli home on West Second Street. Bill was as adventurous as the next kid. When a bus came in, he jumped on its rear to go for a spin. He later remembered that buses would come down on the north side of the station, go around, and park on the south side. Hanging on to the bus luggage rack, Bill thought the bus driver was going to stop and take on passengers. Instead the driver decided to back down. He jumped off at that precise moment. Bus meets boy. Boy loses. He had taken his last step.
Bill recalls his mother's scream of anguish - she wasn't that far away when he was run over by the bus. The account read that the youngster was caught between the ground and the rear axle of the bus. He was rushed to the Salem Clinic in a taxi. Although he survived, his injuries were critical. Most damaging was a severe spinal injury. He became a paraplegic that day and the 83 year old has been confined to a wheelchair ever since.
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Despite his handicap -whoops; don't use that word when it comes to someone like a Bill Borrelli - he has led a full life. He married, raised a family, supported them and now lives in retirement with his wife, Betty. He is a learned, friendly sort and well known throughout Salem and has been for decades. You may have seen him tooling around in his wheelchair. The only thing he couldn't do that most of us can do is walk. Yet he has taken the kind of steps that don't need legs. Those steps come from dedication and pure courage.
For that he is being honored by Guinness World Records of Limited based in London. The Borrelli family recently learned the Bill recently passed the late Gladys Filman of Canada for the world record of "longest wheelchair confinement" (Answer: As of today, let's see, it's been 76 years, 218 days -and counting). How's that for durability?
"It's been an interesting life," the affable Borrelli said. Naturally, the obvious question to be asked regarding his handicap, whoops, make that challenge, is "why me?"
"Not a once have I asked that," he said. "Maybe yes if the circumstances were different I might've done something like that. I always had a gang of friends around me when I was young and they never treated me like I was different. Later my family was always around me. There was always love."
After the injury he was tutored at home. "The teachers would come in and assign me a lesson," he recalled.
"I was the only guy there so I always had to raise my hand! As a result, I got a better education. She'd come in the morning and by noon I was free. I'd then do all of my homework."
Oh there was a fair share of challenges. Keep in mind too, that this was back in the day that wasn't so accommodating of the handicapped. His first wheelchair was an old wicker chair with wheels. He learned to bounce the street curbs to get around. His upper body turned granite - check out the photo with this story from a devout weights regimen. He could do one-armed chin ups. Try it sometime. He learned to live with bummin' around with his buddies and having to wait in the car when they were out running around. Remarkably - but considering it's the federal government, maybe not so remarkable - he had to go to the draft board to get a physical to confirm he was a paraplegic.
"I wanted to go and serve," Bill said. "But there wasn't much room in the infantry for a wheelchair."
Bill's life has extended away from Salem. After attending Mount Union College he lived in Los Angeles. "There was a lot of gypsy in me when I was young," he said. He lived in New York City. "Not as wheelchair-friendly as California."
On one trip back home from the west coast because of an illness to his mother, Bill met Betty. "I had every intention of going back west; but I met her...."
They were married on June 2, 1953. Along the way came two sons - including Eric, who doggedly pursued the Guinness recognition -two daughters, five grandchildren and a 4-month old great-grandchild. "Keep in mind," he said while you await a sly wink, "only my motor nerves were affected. I always had a great feeling and still do. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to perpetuate a marriage."
Bill assumed ownership of the Terminal Tavern, located on Ellsworth where a print shop is now. He raised his family operating the tavern. He also gained a reputation as being one of the finest carburetor repair and build men in our area.
"I always managed to make a living," he said.
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With his 84th birthday rapidly approaching, Bill admits his figurative "wheels started coming off" when he was about 65. "I did start getting heavy; how are you going to burn off fat living in an Italian household?"
His mind remains as strong as his biceps once were. "Yea, the head is still pretty good," he said.
"When I was younger I didn't know of anything I couldn't do." How's this: He recalls pushing himself from Salem to Washingtonville in a wheelchair which, come to think of it, is something else the Guinness folks might be interested in. He put his kitchen ceiling in and dug ditches. He was able to use modifications such as a hand brake to drive a car.
"The Guinness thing... that's all my kids' doing. To me it doesn't make any difference. I had nothing to do with it. It's nothing in particular that I did except I took care of myself."
"He has been a great example to a lot of people and I was glad to do it," said son Eric who contacted Guinness over a year ago. The process included much documentation. The confirmation word came just recently and Guinness sent Bill a plaque and framed letter of acceptance into a very unique fraternity. An open house, meaning open to the public, will be held from 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17 at the CIO Hall on Prospect Street in Salem.
"I have no regrets at all," Bill said. "It's been an interesting life and I missed absolutely nothing. I can show you a lot of people who were a lot worse off than me."
Yeah, but what about all the challenges?
"I never looked at anything as a challenge," he said. "You find a way or you make a way. Taking that approach it worked out pretty good for me. Like I said, not a single regret."
And Bill Borrelli's story sure beats a guy sitting in a bathtub. Doesn't it?
J.D. Creer can be reached at jdcreer@salemnews.net
