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[Page S5468]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING MICHAEL BAUER
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to my friend
Michael Bauer, who died in late August after a battle with cancer.
You couldn't miss Michael--he was the outspoken, critical ally of
scores of boards and organizations in the LGBTQ community of Chicago;
the first call they made when they needed an effective advocate. When
the conversation turned to political friends and foes, issues of the
moment and candidates in the hunt, he never had a private thought or
waited his turn to share it. And when the music started, Michael was
the first on the dance floor.
I met Michael more than 20 years ago as a downstate Congressman
running for the U.S. Senate. After an introductory dinner with Michael,
his partner, Roger, and my wife Loretta, Michael gave me a passing
grade, but I always knew he liked Loretta more.
His name was first on the list of must-calls for political
candidates. But if you only knew the public side of Michael, you might
not have known the fire inside that drove his life. Over time we became
friends, and that friendship led to trust between us. Michael shared
with me the private stories, the journey of his life.
At the center were his parents, survivors of the Holocaust who spent
their whole lives facing the memories of friends and family who
perished. Michael knew that they were victims of forces they did not
have the power to control. He was determined to know more about the
cruelty and hate they faced. This search took him to the Holocaust
Memorial Museum, where he carefully reconstructed his family's
experience. Michael believed that through these efforts, his mother,
Tema, now 103, was given back the real story of her life in a war that
sent her to slave labor camps. He said with this research his mother's
entire memory of the horror of the Holocaust was validated. This search
for the truth was personal to Michael as the Jewish son of a survivor
and as a gay man who knew the Nazis targeted and murdered homosexuals
as well.
Personally facing the massive loss of life in the Holocaust, I think
Michael felt a special pain with the AIDS crisis. I remember when he
told me that fellow members of a board he served on were still not
taking care to protect themselves. He was truly saddened as he feared
for their fate.
But if life had been cruel to his family and the world outside could
be perilous, Michael had one constant, one protector. He talked to me
so many times about Roger, truly the center of his life, his partner,
his love, and ultimately his husband. For me, it was a personal insight
into a loving relationship at a level I had never before witnessed so
closely. I could not imagine Roger without Michael, as now we must.
When it came to the world of politics, Michael willingly, frequently
shared his opinion of every candidate and every issue. No one escaped
his penetrating, outspoken scrutiny.
But Michael was always ready to help his friends, often in memorable
ways. In 2000, with Joe Lieberman as the first Jewish candidate for
Vice President, Michael and Roger made a point of heading to Los
Angeles for the convention. When they heard I had an event planned
there, they insisted on giving me a ride from the hotel. When they
arrived in their rented convertible, Michael and Roger were properly
dressed in muscle t-shirts and ready to drive through Beverly Hills. As
we cruised through Wilshire Blvd and Rodeo Drive, Michael insisted on
prepping me for the upcoming Gore-Lieberman campaign--he taught me
valuable Yiddish words and phrases. Michael was always there with
advice for his friends.
In 1996, we celebrated my first Senate election night together. I
remember his trademark smile and the tears in his eyes. After I was
elected to the Senate, Michael wasted no time bringing an issue to my
attention. It was not an ask for a job or a contract or anything that
would benefit him personally; he asked if I could find time to visit
the Howard Brown Health Center on Halsted. Of course I agreed--how
could you say no to Michael? The visit led to a conversation where
Michael looked me in the eye and said the Howard Brown Center was
critical in fighting the AIDS crisis. He told me of friends who were
afraid of other health venues and afraid to face the realities of their
lives. Howard Brown was their best chance and for some, their only
chance. He wanted me to see firsthand the impact of the AIDS crisis in
our country.
Michael Bauer used his knowledge and connections to help others, to
protect others, to fight a deadly crisis that was burying his friends.
In his heart, Michael was a caring, loving person who used his talents
and his access to help those on the outside of the halls of power.
Loretta and I join Roger, Tema, Michael's extended family and so many
friends in mourning the loss of Michael.
Farewell, Michael. You will be missed.
____________________
