Where There's a Will, There's a Bill

I’ve had the privilege of learning from some truly amazing mentors throughout my business career. William J. Sacco, Ph.D. was one of those people on a short list who truly inspired me. Even though his many accomplishments in multiple careers spanning applied mathematics, trauma research, and ground-breaking educational methodologies reached to the highest levels of industry, he asked that instead of calling him Dr. Sacco, we simply refer to him as Bill. Just Bill. His humility and grace are the legacy he left with me, and I had the pleasure of speaking at his recent retirement dinner, presenting a poem I wrote in his honor, entitled-simply and appropriately-"Bill.”

Bill

It’s difficult to encapsulate
This entity, this Bill
To define, nearly impossible
Like skiing up a hill.

So like an academic
I sought a learned book
T’was Webster’s Intercollegiate
Periodical I took.

And on page hundred thirty
Relieved was I to find
The many unique attributes
Of this Bill, left behind.

The jaws or mouth of a bird
Appropriately called a bill
For it was from this orifice
Great wisdom he distilled.

The visor of a cap or hood
Shares this same moniker
And in the shade of his benevolence
Generosity we have learned.

A draft of law presented to
Legislature for enactment,
Speaks loudly and a tribute to
His penchant for taking action.

A statement of, charges for
Food or drink consumed,
A connoisseur of life’s finer things
Like flowers in full bloom.

A programmed presentation
Of a concert, show, or play,
He reminded us to recreate
And enjoy life every day.

As you can see, this litany
Could stretch on for many days
For we have been so furtunate
And blessed in many ways.

A bill of fare, a bill of goods
A bill of health ongoing
A bill of sale, a bill of rights
All have a way of showing

Our heartfelt thanks for all you’ve done
As a colleague and a mentor
We’ll miss you as a scientist
And your role as chief inventor.

Sure there are more famous Bill’s
A Clinton comes to mind
But you have been more faithful
More giving and more kind.

Bills final definition
Ironically is this
The amount owed or expended
Yet it is we who are in debt.

You fit the bill, you fill the bill
You’re exactly what is needed
And as a group, we honor you
So glad that you’ve succeeded.