…Oliver Sipple (1941-1989)
Oliver
Sipple
Oliver
Sipple was born in November of 1941 in Detroit, Michigan. He served in the U.S.
Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, where was wounded twice. His friends knew
him as Billy. Sipple received an honorable discharge in 1970 as a private
first-class, and received a 100% veteran's disability pension for psychological
and physical reasons.
Sipple
moved to San Francisco after the war to begin a new life. He made new friends,
and became active in local causes, including the political campaigns of openly
gay City Council candidate Harvey Milk. His friends knew something that his
family didn't. Billy Sipple was a homosexual.
Billy,
Don't Be A Hero
On
September 22, 1975, Sipple went to Union Square in the heart of San Francisco
to get a glimpse of the President of the United States who was attending an
event at the St. Francis Hotel. At 3:30 p.m., President Ford emerged from the
hotel and was greeted by a sea of onlookers. Sipple was standing next to Sara
Jane Moore when she pulled out a gun and fired it in the President's direction.
Before she could fire a second round, Sipple grabbed her arm and prevented her
from hitting her target just 35 feet away.
On
September 24, the San Francisco Chronicle printed a story that alleged that the
White House was delaying their expression of gratitude to Sipple because they
found out that he was gay. Only a handful of newspapers followed the
Chronicle's lead and disclosed Sipple's sexual orientation as a part of the
story. One of the papers was the Detroit Free Press.
When
the news reached Michigan, the heroic tale turned tragic. Sipple's mother was
reportedly harassed by her neighbors. When her son called to talk to her, she
hung up on him. Sipple's split with his family never healed. When his mother died
in 1979, his father refused contact with him.
Billy
Sipple the Journalism Subject
The
"outing " of Billy Sipple is a popular topic for journalism students.
Was reporting details of his private life appropriate? Did the gay community in
San Francisco take unfair advantage of Sipple in celebrating his heroism?
Sipple
sued the San Francisco Chronicle and six other papers for damages, and for the
mental stress he experienced from the reaction by his family. The lawsuit was
dismissed after five years in the courts. Sipple drank heavily to ease his pain.
"To
the friends of Oliver Sipple."
Sipple's
physical condition continued to decline as his alcoholism worsened. He survived
on his pension, supplemented by a night job at a bar. He had a pacemaker, and
weighed approximately 300 pounds at the time of his 47th birthday. His $334 per
month apartment near the Tenderloin District of San Francisco was plastered
with newspaper clippings of his actions on the fateful September afternoon in
1975. His prized possession was the framed letter from the White House.
Oliver
Sipple was found dead on February 2, 1989 in his apartment. It was estimated
that he probably died on January 19. On that day, Sipple visited a friend and
spoke of his being turned away at the Veterans Administration hospital when he
went concerning his difficulty in breathing.
A
small funeral for Billy was attended by 30 people, and he was laid to rest in
Golden Gate National Cemetery south of San Francisco.
A
letter addressed to the friends of Oliver Sipple was on display for a short
period after his death at one of his favorite hang outs, the New Belle Saloon.
President Gerald Ford, February , 1989
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