Joybubbles
|
|
Joybubbles, born as Joe Engressia, was an early phone phreak. Born blind, he became interested in telephones at age four. Being gifted with perfect pitch, he was able to whistle 2600 Hz into a telephone (see Blue box).
A student at the University of South Florida in the late 1960s, he was given the nickname "whistler" due to his ability to place free long-distance phonecalls with his whistle. He was disciplined by the University early on, but after graduating his studies in philosophy and moving to Tennessee, law enforcement raided his house; he was charged with malicious mischief and given a suspended sentence and quickly abandoned phreaking.
Sexually abused by teachers as a child, Engressia reverted to his childhood and remained there ever since; trying to remain an active member of the children's community around his home, giving readings at the local library and setting up phonecalls to terminally ill children around the world. An avid fan of Mister Rogers, he mourned the entertainer's death by travelling to the University of Pittsburgh's archives and watching all 800 episodes over a span of six weeks, huddled under a blanket in the library.
Currently living in Minneapolis, surviving off his Social Security disability pension, he legally changed his name to Joybubbles in 1991 claiming he wanted to put his past, specifically the abuse, behind him.
The movie Sneakers had a character named Whistler that seemed to combine traits of both Joybubbles and John Draper.