The Power of Bauer

Whether W. David Bauer had any Tupac in his record collection or in a playlist on his iPod to which he listened while training for a triathlon I cannot pretend to know.  It matters not.  It matters not because he took Tupac's words to heart, and he lived them every day in every facet of his life.   

Mr. Bauer lived in Rumson, New Jersey with his wife, Virginia, and the couple's three children, David, Steven, and Jackie.  The Bauer kids were born seemingly equidistant from one another and were 16, 14, and 12 respectively at the time of their father's death.  David and "Ginny" Bauer had been in each other's life since they were small children.  They met when they were just third graders.  

He had joined Cantor Fitzgerald in 2000 as its Head of Global Sales for eSpeed.  It was the latest - and tragically final - stop on a Wall Street career whose trajectory had been upward since it began, and followed successes at Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, and Credit Suisse Boston.  Success was nothing new to Mr. Bauer.  He was a 1978 graduate of Villanova, where he had been a starting defensive back on the Wildcats' football team, while also handling the dual duties of returning kickoffs and punts.  In his career at 'Nova, he intercepted ten passes.  As a junior, when the 'Cats needed a punter, he added that job to his resume.  Prior to launching his career on Wall Street, he had a brief stint in the NFL, as a linebacker for the New York Giants.  

Mr. Bauer was to have returned to Villanova in November 2001.  He was a member of the Villanova Varsity Club Hall of Fame Class of '01 and was looking forward to the induction ceremony.    

Dave Bauer was just forty-five years young when he was murdered on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, as he worked in his office on the 105th Floor of the North Tower.  He had spent what proved to be the final weekend of his life competing in a triathlon, watching his sons' football scrimmage, and then relaxing at home in Rumson with Ginny, their kids, and some friends,  grilling steaks, drinking wine, and just enjoying the life at which he excelled.  

On the gridiron at Villanova, his teammates had nicknamed him "Superman" because of his ability to grab "bullet" passes, one-handed, thrown by the team's quarterback with either just his left hand or just his right hand.  

It was a nickname to which he did justice, on the field and off, every day of his life. 

-AK