Our longtime friend and board member, B.W. “Bill” Durham, Jr., passed away this week. As a board member from 2009 through 2019 and a member of our Leadership Council since 2020, Bill helped lay the foundation of our organization. He unabashedly approached friends and strangers alike to invest in our mission. 

He personally connected us to philanthropic partners, including the Orthwein Foundation, to fund our work. He walked into Purina without a meeting, only a plan to find an executive and explain the opportunities they were missing by not engaging the disability community, and walked out with a commitment to get involved from the top HR executive. That executive was Steve Degnan, our current board chair, and our partnership with Purina remains strong.  

Bill cared deeply about improving employment opportunities for the disability community. He showed this through his dedication to the growth and stability of SDI during its very formative early years. 

Visitation will be held tomorrow, June 15, from 2 – 4 p.m. at Bopp Chapel, 10610 Manchester Road.  Read Bill’s full obituary.

 All of us at SDI extend heartfelt condolences to Bill’s family, and our gratitude for his many years of service to our mission.