[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 123 (Tuesday, July 18, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2979]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING WILLIAM BRANDT, JR.

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, 2 months ago I had the privilege of 
delivering the commencement address at Loyola University Chicago 
Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago.
  It was an inspiring celebration. Among the new doctors receiving 
their medical degrees that day were six young people who had been 
brought to this country as children and educated in American schools, 
but had never been able to become citizens.
  It used to be that such young people had no real future in America. 
In 2012, however, with bipartisan encouragement from Senator Dick Lugar 
and myself, President Obama created the DACA program, which allows 
young people who are undocumented and meet rigorous conditions can 
remain in America and work legally.
  That same year, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine 
became the first medical school in America to openly welcome 
undocumented DACA recipients. It was a courageous decision. But there 
was a big obstacle: DACA recipients are ineligible for Federal tuition 
assistance, and without such financial aid, most Dreamers cannot afford 
college, much less medical school.
  In stepped a smart, visionary public servant with a creative 
solution. His name was William Brandt, Jr. As chair of the Illinois 
Finance Authority, he created a program to provide interest-free loans 
to DACA students at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of 
Medicine. In exchange, these Dreamer doctors, after they graduate, work 
in medically underserved areas in Illinois. In a life filled with many 
firsts and financial successes, Bill Brandt considered Illinois' loan 
program for DACA medical students his proudest achievement. It is 
really a model for the Nation. Thirty-eight DACA recipients have now 
graduated from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.
  As someone who has worked for more than 20 years to pass the Dream 
Act, I am grateful to Bill for having such faith in Dreamers. And I am 
deeply saddened by his recent death at the too-young age of 73. Bill 
Brandt was born in Chicago and his talent for business was obvious 
early on. In college, he worked as a door-to-door salesman for Kirby 
Vacuum Cleaners and once won the salesman-of-the-year award from the 
local distributor. His introductory pitch to customers was: ``Brandt is 
the name; dirt sucking's the game.'' Who could say no to that?
  In 1976, after earning a master's degree in sociology from the 
University of Chicago, he founded his own company, Development 
Specialists, Inc., and became a pioneer in the corporate restructuring 
and bankruptcy consulting industry.
  There are people--Gordon Gekko types--who specialize in buying 
distressed companies only to strip them of their assets and then 
declare bankruptcy and fire all the employees. Bill Brandt was the 
opposite of that. To Bill, success meant helping struggling companies 
turn around. He was proud of all the companies he helped regain their 
financial footing and of the thousands of jobs he helped save. He 
believed that good public policies could make the economy stronger and 
fairer for everyone. When Congress passed a new Federal bankruptcy law 
in 1994, he testified about ways to make the new law fairer, more 
streamlined, and accessible to everyone.
  To Bill, social justice wasn't just a theory; it was a calling. As a 
high school senior, he started to do community outreach at the Benton 
House, a social services organization in Chicago's Bridgeport 
neighborhood. He believed that government could help make life better 
for people and that everyone has a responsibility to hold government 
accountable. He was a trusted adviser and friend to many public 
officials, including former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and President 
Bill Clinton. Bill also believed that everyone has a responsibility to 
leave the world a better place than they found it. He certainly lived 
up to that responsibility, and he will be missed.
  Loretta and I offer our condolences to Bill's family, especially 
Patrice, his wife of 43 years; their children Katherine, Joan, John, 
and William; their grandchildren; to Bill's many friends; and to the 
countless others, like those Dreamer doctors at Loyola University 
Chicago, who will help keep his legacy alive for years to come.

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