Page 61 - December 2018

Valor Awards honor Bauer’s legacy
■ BY NICK SWEDBERG
Erin Bauer ascended a short flight of stairs and looked across the room at a mix of local leaders, business people and Chicago Police Officers.
Most of the audience members watching her walk calmly across the stage at McCormick Place’s elegant Skyline Ballroom that night in early November were familiar faces. All of them were there to recognize the heroism of her late husband, Commander Paul Bauer.
Bauer lost his life in February outside the Thompson Center while responding to a report of a fleeing suspect. He was 53 years old and a 31-year veteran of the department.
Erin Bauer and her daughter, Grace, took the stage to accept the Chicago Police Department’s 2018 Valor Award, after watch- ing a short, documentary-style video that highlighted the com- mander’s life.
The producers of the video said it was made so that his daugh- ter could show it to her children. In it, his friends, family and fel- low officers recount Commander Bauer’s life, from attending St. Ignatius College Prep to joining the department and becoming a family man.
“You know, it’s weird to see Paul’s life up on the big screen, when he should be sitting next to me at the table. It was hard to watch,” Erin Bauer said.
In the video, she tells the story of the first time she saw her then-future husband.
“I saw him across the way,” she said with a smile projected broadly onto the giant screen. “And then I saw he was very cute. When he walked by, I said ‘Hey, Tom Cruise.’”
Put on by the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, the Valor Awards used to be a luncheon that only a few dozen were able to attend. The ceremony was moved to a dinner this year, allowing for a greater turnout from police supporters.
Earlier in the evening, Chicago real estate developer Miles Berger was recognized for his enduring support of the founda- tion with the Golden Vest Award. Berger is one of the founding members of the organization’s board.
“The City and the Chicago Police Department are, and have been, going through a very difficult period, with intense gang ac- tivity, political restraint and uncertainties making it a challenging policing climate,” Berger said. “We must have their backs as they keep us safe.”
Berger said that being up on stage to receive the award was “rather humbling, especially as we pay tribute to a man and a family that embody everything that the Chicago Police Depart- ment stands for.”
Police officers are the ones who run toward danger, said Frank Gross, a retired Chicago Police Officer and the foundation’s direc- tor of operations.
This award ceremony honors the brave actions of a few. Two dozen officers have received the award in the last six years. “Last year, we honored eight officers involved in terrible situations. Some were injured, some of them were saved by their vests,” Gross said.
Most years, more than one officer is singled out for recognition. For this year’s awards, Commander Bauer was the appropriate choice.
“Paul was a friend. Paul was a great leader. More important, he was a great family man, a husband and a father,” Gross said.
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