Christian S. Bauer Jr.

In Memory of Christian S. Bauer Jr. September 19, 1944 – April 6, 2016 Christian S. Bauer Jr., age 71, passed away on April 6, 2016. Born in Biloxi, MS, he was the son of Christian and Violet Bauer. His family moved from Arlington, VA in 1959 to Winter Park, FL. Upon graduation from Winter Park High School, Chris attended the University of Florida where he earned his Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate degrees. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Chris joined Rotary August 1, 1964. He served a term as President of the Goldenrod Club, which later became the Orlando East Rotary Club. There he delighted the pre-k and kindergarten children at Union Park Elementary School as Santa Claus for their holiday party for several years. He transferred to the Orange County East Club, where he was a member until his death. Dr. Bauer joined UCF as an assistant professor in the Fall of 1970 in Industrial Engineering (EMCS – Engineering Mathematics and Computer Systems). He was the Acting Chair (1984-1986) and then Chair (1986-1992) of the Department of Computer Engineering. After the department merged with Electrical Engineering, he became the Director (1992-2007), Office of External Relations, College of Engineering. He continued his service as Assistant Chair (1995-1998) of Computer Engineering, Director (1999-2004) of Computer Engineering, and the Interim Chair (2006-2007) of the Department of Industrial Engineering. He served as President of Florida Engineering Society in 1993-1994 and was very active in that Society throughout his career. In 2010 he became a Fellow, National Society of Professional Engineers. Dr. Bauer’s work was in computer simulation and computer graphics for transportation systems. He was the Director (1975-1980 of UCF’s Transportation Systems Institute which was the predecessor of CATSS. He (together with Dr. Harold Klee) designed the simulation lab in Engineering II. Dr. Bauer also served as the founding director of UCF’s Institute for Simulation & Training. Chris was the one who led and influenced Computer Engineering at UCF during its early days. He was always an optimistic person and had many close friends in the college. Many UCF alumni fondly remember Dr. Bauer as their teacher and mentor. Chris pledged and was initiated into Beta Theta Pi Fraternity at the University of Florida chapter in February of 1965. This was the beginning of a 51-year commitment of service to the values and principles of the fraternity and it became an integral part of his life as an educator. For his own chapter at the University of Florida, he served as the House Corporation president from 1997 thru 2003. At the University of Central Florida, where Chris spent most of his professional career, he was instrumental in bringing a new Beta Chapter in 1999. His continuous guidance and mentoring helped this group develop into one of the finest and most respected fraternal organizations at UCF. He served as both Chapter Counselor from 2003 thru 2015 and as Faculty Advisor continuously from the beginning. During that period of time, he personally mentored numerous young men in the pursuit of their college education and the beginning of their professional careers. Chris also served the General Fraternity as Assistant District Chief for the north Florida district and attended numerous annual conventions and regional conferences serving as a facilitator. Chris loved the Fraternity with passion and exemplified its mission to nurture principled young men to pursue a principled life. He was a leader, a mentor and a friend to all who called him Brother. Chris, better known as Bud by his family, is survived by his sister Sue Beverage, brother-in-law Bill, nephews Jake (Stephanie) and Matthew (Colleen), great-nieces Katie, Claire and Olivia, and stepmother Patricia Bauer. His optimism, enjoyment of life and sense of humor will be missed. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Beta Theta Pi Foundation (1-800-800-2382) or Rotary Club of Orange County East Foundation (501c3): P.O. Box 1566, Winter Park, FL 32790.