It was a Syracuse University professor who would set the trajectory for the rest of their public service. “Michael Sawyer was a revered Maxwell School professor,” says Bill. “Upon graduation from law school, I had offers to stay in poverty law or to go to Wall Street. Sawyer told me: ‘Go to Wall Street, make a lot of money and you’ll do more good for people in poverty than being a poverty lawyer.’” So that’s exactly what they did. Says Joan: “The impact of one great professor on people’s lives can be extraordinary.”

Bill began his New York City career as a securities lawyer, joining the American Stock Exchange in 1974 and became its head of options trading in 1976. Then, he and Joan had the opportunity to move to Chicago to advance his career. He rose to the highest levels of leadership at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Chicago Board Options Exchange and the World Federation of Exchanges, a global body of more than 60 of the leading exchanges of the world.

“Moving to Chicago was the biggest risk we ever took,” Bill recalls. They had no family and no friends there. But the Syracuse connection came into play once more: the alumni association connected the Brodskys to alumna Renée Schine Crown ’50, H’84, whose philanthropy established and maintains the Schine Student Center. “We co-hosted a tailgate party with the Crowns. They became our role models in civic engagement and philanthropy.”

“We’ve always tried to find good people and emulate them,” says Joan. “To this day, the Crowns are the most kind, outstanding and generous people we know.”

Remaining Connected

Like the Crowns, the Brodskys remained closely connected to Syracuse across hundreds of miles. Bill served on the Law School Board of Advisors for several years, and on the Board of Trustees for decades and is now a life trustee. Joan serves on the Libraries Advisory Board and formerly served on the iSchool Advisory Board.

Together, Bill and Joan spearheaded the campaign that established the Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics at the Maxwell School, tapping into the generosity of alumni and colleagues who wanted to carry on Sawyer’s legacy. They are also generous supporters of the University and the Libraries, having established an endowment for the Brodsky Series for the Advancement of Library Conservation, and provided significant funding to renovate the conservation lab on the sixth floor of Bird Library, with new equipment and space to care for special collections materials and preserve rare and fragile materials. Their three sons all attended Syracuse University and their grandson Matthew is a senior in the Newhouse School.

In his Commencement speech to graduates of the College of Law in 2015, Bill advised: “Find ways to share your gifts of talent and time and ultimately maybe some money with the broader community. One of the greatest sources of satisfaction for Joan and me is our involvement in the community, in the political process, in professional and industry organizations, in educational and medical institutions and through our philanthropy. It’s amazing that as our activities have grown, how our lives have become enriched.”

“We are forever intertwined with Syracuse University,” says Joan. “And we are forever grateful.”

By Eileen Korey