Dr. Harry Bauer

Harry Bauer, M.D., long-time resident of Needham, died peacefully in his sleep on May 6, 2009. Dr. Bauer was born June 14, 1922, in Vienna, Austria, where his family was well established as the proprietors of a fine shoe store until they were forced to flee to London after the Nazi takeover of Austria in 1938. Dr. Bauer came to the US in 1940, and received his high-school diploma through the City College of New York. Dr. Bauer was awarded a scholarship to the University of Toledo. where he graduated with honors in chemistry. In 1950, he earned his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland. From 1951 to 1953, he served as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in Germany. Dr. Bauer completed his residency in internal medicine at Boston Medical Center in 1955, the same year he married his wife of 50 years, the late Ruth Paul of Swampscott. In 1956, he finished a fellowship in cardiology at the New England Medical Center and opened a private practice in Needham. Dr. Bauer served on the staff of Beth Israel Deaconess (BID) Hospital in Needham -- formerly known as Glover Memorial Hospital -- for 50 years, where his subspecialty was cardiovascular disease. He served as chief of medicine and president of the medical staff there, and held an appointment as an assistant clinical professor at Tufts University School of Medicine. In 2004, Dr. Bauer was named the Community Clinician of the Year by the Massachusetts Medical Society's Charles River Division. The same year, the BID-Needham board of trustees honored him with a proclamation that recognized his deeply held commitment to the highest ethical principles, reflected in his leadership of the hospital’s Ethics Committee and his 20-year tenure as the hospital’s patient care assessment coordinator. He also served as president of the Charles River District Medical Society and chair of the MMS Accreditation Committee, and was school physician at the Roxbury Latin School for many years. Dr. Bauer was well-known as an old school doctor, focused on listening to and treating the whole patient. He was beloved by town residents, hospital staff, his students and, especially, his patients for his attentive care, grace under pressure and positive attitude. Dr. Bauer was an accomplished pianist and shared his love of classical music with his late wife. He also was a passionate bridge player, earning the title of Life Master. Besides his wife, Dr. Bauer was pre-deceased by a twin sister, Greta Bray, of Manchester, England. He is survived by two sons, Matthew Bauer of Washington, DC, and Robert Bauer of South Strafford, Vermont; three grandchildren, Benjamin, Jeremy and Emma Bauer of South Strafford, Vermont; a nephew, Christopher Bray of London, England; and his longtime devoted assistant and caregiver Christine Saulnier of Waltham. The Bauer family would welcome condolence calls at their home at 160 Tower Avenue in Needham from 4-7pm on Saturday May 9 and Monday May 11. The burial service will be private for family only, please. A celebration of Dr. Bauer's life will be held at Temple Beth Shalom in Needham at noon on Sunday May 31. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Dr. Bauer's name to the American Heart Association or the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.