Wilton Couple Awarded Honorary Degrees by Washington University

WILTON, CT — Washington University in St. Louis awarded Wilton residents Carol and George Bauer with honorary degrees during its 158th Commencement on May 17.

Michael Bloomberg, 108th mayor of New York City and founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, delivered the Commencement address. Bloomberg and the Bauers were among six recipients awarded the honorary degrees.

Carol Bauer has focused her philanthropy on improving education and health care. She has worked with homebound children with disabilities, managed a home-based nursery school, taught at a nursery school, raised a family, and now serves as a hospital chaplain.

While a student at Harris Teachers' College in St. Louis and president of the Baptist Student Union, she met her future husband, George Bauer, then a Washington University student and vice president of the Interfaith Council. After earning a bachelor’s degree, she taught in St. Louis public schools.

George Bauer launched GPB Group Ltd., an investment banking firm, in 1987 after retiring from a 31-year career at IBM. Bauer, who grew up on a farm in DeSoto, MO, and was the first in his family to go to college, received a scholarship to Washington University’s engineering school. With his wife of 64 years, he has returned that initial scholarship support many times over.

To foster what the Bauers call the "Sunday/Monday connection," a term to describe their goal of bridging the spiritual and the secular in their lives, they founded the Bauer Family Foundation in 1989 to benefit others.

Through their foundation, the Bauers created a Connecticut chapter of the national "I Have a Dream" program, which provides social, emotional and academic support to young people in low-income communities from kindergarten through college, along with guaranteed tuition support.

In April, the Bauers made a $15 million gift toward a major expansion of Norwalk Hospital, where Carol was a member and former chair of the board of trustees. She has volunteered as a hospital chaplain there since 2002.