[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 176 (Wednesday, November 14, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2406]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    MOURNING THE LOSS OF MIKE BIONDI

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RAHM EMANUEL

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 13, 2007

  Mr. EMANUEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and memory 
of my good friend, Mike Biondi, and I offer my deepest condolences to 
his family after his passing last night at the age of 50. Mike's sudden 
and tragic passing came as a great shock to me, as I had planned to see 
him early next week, and I hope that we can do as good of a job 
remembering Mike as he did living an outstanding life that had a 
positive impact on so many across the country.
  Mike was a founding partner at Wasserstein Perella & Co., and rose to 
become chairman and CEO. I had the honor of working with Mike at 
Wasserstein, and I am privileged to have been able to call him a 
friend. Mike took me under his wing during my time at Wasserstein and 
became my mentor.
  While working as an investment banker at Wasserstein Perella & Co., 
Mike helped establish Chicago-based Exelon Corporation, one of the 
Nation's largest electric utilities. Mike could literally take credit 
for helping to keep Chicagoans warm during our coldest winters.
  Mike joined First Boston's mergers and acquisitions team after 
serving as an attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. He 
spent the past 4 years at Lazard LLC, where he served as cochairman of 
investment banking. No matter where he worked, Mike was held in high 
esteem and widely recognized for his intellectual acumen, wisdom and 
integrity.
  Mike graduated from Dartmouth University where he played on the 
baseball team. He also received graduate degrees from the University of 
Pennsylvania Law School and Wharton business school. Mike continued to 
be active with the Dartmouth community and co-chaired the Dartmouth 
College Fund Committee with his wife Cynthia.
  No matter where he went--Dartmouth, Penn, Lazard, Wasserstein--Mike 
had a profound effect on people. He was not just my mentor or the 
mentor for others at his firms, but he was also a role model for the 
people whose lives he touched and a mentor to students both during his 
time on campus and as an alumnus.
  Madam Speaker, Mike was a titan in his field, and a tremendous human 
being. He is survived by his wife Cynthia, his four sons, Michael Jr., 
James, William, and Cameron, and his two brothers, Frank and Robert. I 
extend my deepest condolences and gratitude to his family. We will all 
miss Mike, and I know that I will never forget the lessons he taught me 
both in business and in life.

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