Bill Freeman continues to teach and inspire others at 94 years young

Williamsburg native Bill Freeman spent 44 years at Cumberland College, which is now known as the University of the Cumberlands, wearing many hats during his career including: director of admissions, assistant to the president for development, director of public and media relations, professor of speech and campus photographer.

Bill Freeman plays spoons with his new ‘apprentices’ McKinley, left, and Ellasyn Pascarella. The trio entertain residents with their spoon-playing and singing in the activity room at Hickory Hills.

“Bill Freeman is Mr. Cumberland,” wrote Dave Bergman, then director of alumni services at UC, in the fall 2007 edition of Cumberland Today, the school’s alumni magazine.

Freeman has also served on the Williamsburg Independent School Board of Education, and served overseas in the U.S. Army during WWII in the infantry.

Given that he has spent a life time in and around education, many that know him probably won’t be surprised to hear that even at the age of 94 years old, Freeman is still teaching others.

Logan Pascarella first met Freeman this past summer when his mother moved into Hickory Hills Alzheimer’s Special Care Center in Henderson, Tennessee. It didn’t take long before Pascarella and his family befriended and adopted Freeman as a member of their own family.

Pascarella’s two daughters, Ellasyn, (3), and McKinley, who was five at the time but has since turned (6) became quick apprentices to Freeman, who taught the girls how to play the “spoons.”

“I, nor my wife, had never heard of playing music with two ordinary soup spoons attached back to back so we too became students along with our children,” Pascarella said in an e-mail to the News Journal.

“Every time we come to visit my mom (Grandma) the girls will ask to play spoons with Mr. Bill and they put on quite the performance for other residents as they sing and play to the tune of ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ and ‘Jesus Loves Me.’”

Freeman moved into Hickory Hills a few years ago with is wife, Wanda Freeman, when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Pascarella noted that although Bill Freeman was able to live independently at that point, he chose to stay with his wife in the care center.

“He lost his wife of 63 years this past April, and looks for ways to keep his spirit alive. Mr. Bill decided to stay at Hickory Hills after his wife passed even though he is not diagnosed with the disease himself,” Pascarella said.

“He is now 94 years old, but when he brings his spoons out to lead a new generation in song, it seems as if he is 14 again playing and singing alongside childhood friends.”