[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 169 (Thursday, October 24, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6154-S6155]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING WILLIAM S. WHITE

 Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to 
someone who spent his career in service to others, from his Flint 
neighbors, to communities across the country, to people around the 
world, someone whom I was proud to call my friend.
  William S. White may not have been a native of Michigan--he was born 
in Cincinnati in 1937--but he was Michigan through and through, and his 
devotion to serving the people of his adoptive State was truly 
inspiring.
  Bill earned his bachelor of arts from Dartmouth University in 1959, 
his master's degree in business administration from the Tuck School of 
Business the next year, and then spent 2 years in the Army. During that 
time, he also had the good sense to fall in love with and marry a 
Michigander, Claire Mott of Flint, whose grandfather, Charles Stewart 
Mott, cofounded General Motors and created the Charles Stewart Mott 
Foundation.
  Claire's father, C.S. Harding Mott, was impressed by Bill's hard work 
and business skills. He brought him on as a consultant to help 
modernize the foundation in the wake of the Tax Reform Act of 1969. 
Bill did that job so well that, by 1971, he was named vice president 
and secretary of the foundation and elected to its board of trustees.
  Over the years, Bill's role grew and so did the foundation. What 
started out as a small organization that mainly supported local causes 
in southeastern Michigan became a philanthropic powerhouse, a $3 
billion foundation that is internationally recognized for its good work 
around the globe.
  That's not all Bill's doing, of course; he was fortunate to be 
supported by his wonderful family and an amazing team. However, Bill 
possessed a number of qualities of leadership that helped make the Mott 
Foundation what it is today.
  Bill was creative. He was willing to think big and take big risks to 
solve big problems. Offering $5 million to help launch the Federal 
Government's 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative sounded 
crazy at the time, but Bill saw a need and a way to meet it. Today, 
this program provides 1.7 million children every year with activities 
that strengthen their academic skills to help them succeed in the 
classroom and beyond.
  Bill was compassionate. I know just how hard the Flint water crisis 
hit him and how hard he worked to help his hometown recover. He showed 
that same heart whether providing families with access to clean 
drinking water, promoting peace and reconciliation in post-apartheid 
South Africa, supporting our Nation's Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities, protecting our Great Lakes, or helping Gulf Coast 
communities rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.
  Above all, Bill was dedicated. He served as chairman of Mott's board 
of trustees until the day he died. And just 2 days before, he gave an 
emotional speech at the Council of Michigan Foundations' annual 
conference inspiring philanthropic leaders to keep doing good works and 
sharing their successes.

[[Page S6155]]

  ``Tell your stories,'' he implored them. ``Tell people what your 
passion is. Tell them what your results are. Tell your stories. Get out 
there, and tell them.''
  Bill had passion, and Bill got results. His story will live on in the 
foundation he built, the lives he touched, and all of the good he did.
  My deepest condolences go out to everyone who loved him, including 
his wife Louise Hartwell, his children and grandchildren, and his many 
friends across Michigan and around the world.
  Thank you, Bill.

                          ____________________