- JS Mill - Monday, Jan 7, 19 @ 12:28 pm: I am so sad to hear of Jon’s passing. In 1984, Trudy and John were inspecting some equipment in their garage in Matteson.
- ArchPundit - Monday, Jan 7, 19 @ 3:37 pm: My condolences to his family and friends.
Jon was a great husband, father, grandfather, and friend to many. - Philbo55 - Monday, Jan 7, 19 @ 11:16 am: First post,after lurking for several years.I worked at TRS, under Jon.
He was one of my favorite commentors.
- Anonymous - Monday, Jan 7, 19 @ 10:39 am: I am his next door neighbor and have been visiting this site for at almost 10 years never knowing that was him posting. His knowledge of the policy history and the fiscal numbers to them, he educated me often and reminded me not that “it’s been going on for a while”, Jon could explain the real policy moves and political maneuvering in context, and in a way that you never felt you were being swamped with numbers, or overwhelmed with partisan politics. [1] After being sentenced to death for her murder, he hanged himself in prison in 2000, while still on death row.[2]. Going to be tough to fill the void his absence will leave on this blog.
always did his best. Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced, and they are likely to be made in his given name instead of the one we all knew him by in Capitol Fax comments: Arthur Andersen.
Bauman was born in Brooklyn, New York. This too, shall pass.
John Baughman was born in Illinois and grew up in Chicago. He’ll be missed. He immediately followed up and continued thru the years. Subscriptions. - Tom Kacich - Monday, Jan 7, 19 @ 10:28 am: He was his old man’s son. He knew the numbers and, more importantly, he knew what those numbers meant. His perspective embodies the institutional knowledge and political memory you knew you could lean on when those like me lack one or both of his great gifts here. He was a loyal, old school Republican tracing back to Thompson working up the ranks of politics and government.”, To wit, AA recently said in response to a question about which former governor we admired most…. I indeed lost a good friend. He later became a heavyset man and had always worn thick-rimmed glasses, which earned him the nickname "Bottles".
[2] He is also a co-founder of the group Senior Votes Count, which is a political action committee designed to elect leaders to protect and advance the rights of elderly Americans.
* I called him out of the blue the week before Christmas to see if he might be available for lunch. [2], https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-12-06-8802220382-story.html, List of serial killers in the United States, "Ex-Cop, Acquitted In First Wife's Death, Is Accused Of Killing Second", "Family's Built-Up Pain Eased By Hanging In Antigua", "Orland Park Man Guilty of Antigua Killing", "Criminal Appeal No.15 of 1996 between John Earl Baughman and The Queen", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Baughman&oldid=982384347, American police officers convicted of murder, Serial killers who committed suicide in prison custody, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 7 October 2020, at 20:11. fought
Date of Death: October 14, 2014. By your comments here you are a class act. Uber-aware, and as congenial as they get.
- wordslinger - Monday, Jan 7, 19 @ 5:36 pm: This one really hit me like a load of bricks. You really did not want to disagree with his facts and figures. He would accept my lunch invitations from time to time when our schedules aligned, and he was my first phone call whenever I had the blog and something broke in the pension realm. I met him when he was a Deputy Director of Administration. He started attending The Juilliard School at age 12 and is a 1964 graduate of Martin Van Buren High School in Queens Village, Queens. that real people speak here.
But the core of superb commenters like AA may be just as much a part of the value here.
“AA” was a frequent contributor here - serving as a resident pension expert given his extensive background in the subject as Chief Investment Officer and later Executive Director at TRS.
It feels like losing JBT and Schnorf. He was a very knowledgeable and thoughtful commenter. The coroner, however, declared that she had been pushed to her death. A knowledgeable voice of reason with a wicked sense of humor to boot. [3] On May 31, 2000, shortly after his final appeal was rejected, Baughman died by suicide in the Antiguan jail by hanging himself by a bed sheet from his cell window bars. But I always learned from his comments.
To those who visited CapFax willing to learn, his knowledge and experience have been invaluable. [4] A long-time friend of Baughman, then 28, he was killed by the former for being in a suspected affair with John's wife, Gertrude.
In memory of Jon Bauman (”Arthur Andersen”), AA would so pointedly reference his own run-ins with federal investigators, took the time to explain without judgement, Pritzker again says he's not looking at another stay at home order, Report: Downgrade to junk status "almost guaranteed" if progressive income tax proposal fails, Early morning election day precinct reports, SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today's edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password). Rich’s great network of sources is certainly a main pillar of what makes this the best Illinois politics blog.
She was an energetic customer service representative for 3M, for whom she had worked for 22 years, and had four adult children.
According to witnesses, Baughman didn't make any attempt to save her from falling.
- Anonymous - Monday, Jan 7, 19 @ 4:43 pm: We (my mother, siblings and me) met Jon in 1989 at my father’s wake.
Informed, articulate, and compassionate in his viewpoint. It’s a place where a man [3] He once served as a police officer in Homewood.
I never skipped over his comments. Unfortunately, but not all that surprising given the spontaneity of the plan, that did not happen. Aiding him through most of the obscurities of state finance and pension law was an impressively sharp memory.
R.I.P, Boss.
- Original Rambler - Monday, Jan 7, 19 @ 4:52 pm: So sorry to hear.
Deepest condolences for his family. Artie was a clear beacon in the fog. He was quick witted and fun to be around, the room was never dull. He had no idea how sick he was when I talked to him, nor, according to those who were with him, did he when he slipped into unconsciousness. [3], In 1988, Baughman's attorney, Fred Aprati, was "convicted in federal court of paying bribes to Cook County sheriff`s police". I wish I had known him in person. Jon made me laugh.
AA (Jon) will be missed here for sure, but appears to leave an even larger hole in the lives of his family. If you were, chances are you were wrong. Bauman also hosted The Pop 'N Rocker Game, a weekly syndicated rock 'n' roll game show, which launched a few weeks before the Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour premiered.
I respected his commentary immensely.
It ended with, “And that’s how I met Bruce Rauner.”.
Like a big brother. I truly appreciated his posts and his willingness to explain complex topics without complaint. Thank you, Jon. In his "Bowzer" persona, Bauman became instantly recognizable for his "greaser" clothes and hair, his muscular pose with his arm, and his catchphrase, "Grease for Peace!" - Commonsense in Illinois - Monday, Jan 7, 19 @ 10:46 am: We lost a really good policy wonk and overall good guy. My deepest condolences to his family. Jon "Bowzer" Bauman. - @misterjayem - Monday, Jan 7, 19 @ 7:15 pm: When a wise man dies, a library has burned. After his heyday with Sha Na Na, Bauman was a VJ on the music channel VH-1 during its first two years. Jon knew my father via dad’s days as Chief engineer at the JRTC.
His father was a good man too — Floyd Bauman, a dedicated, longtime member of the Champaign County Board, who was a loyal Republican but who always worked with Dems to get things done the right way. His father, Bill Baughman, worked on the railroad and was originally from Clinton, Illinois. Jon Bauman- The Fishy Handshake - 9/24/17 - Duration: 23 minutes. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Erin Bauman. Jon was a great story teller, and he was notorious for saving the very best for the very end.
Put the beer on ice, see you on the other side. [4] He is currently President of Social Security Works PAC, a national organization working to elect candidates who support protecting and expanding Social Security benefits. The consulting firm we joked of often is forever closed.
He had some bad turns but his self-confidence got him through.
His comments here were always a must read for me. I always read his posts carefully since they were more educational than partisan political. You couldn’t help but be drawn in by the stories he told of his children and how so very proud he was. But let’s aspire to the ethics and public service of AA, a profoundly decent man, who through his acts demonstrated his love for his family, his friends, his church and his community.
- Not a Billionaire - Monday, Jan 7, 19 @ 5:48 pm: I enjoyed my conversations with him. While Jon could’ve easily talked circles around me on some policy, he chose to unselfishly share, keeping me focused in our chats without making me feel as unknowing as I already knew I was. Bauman tours extensively with his Bowzer and the Stingrays group at fairs, amusement parks, cruise ships, malt shoppes and conventions all over the world. My condolences to his family. This is a terrible loss. voice on this blog is gone. He was the best at telling stories and making a bad situation positive. He was the smartest guy and the best practical politician to hold the office in a long time.
You left the world better than you found it. [5], Bauman is referenced in "The Chanukah Song" by Adam Sandler, "Parents Just Don't Understand" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, the NewsRadio episode "Chock," and the 6th episode of the 10th season of the Simpsons, in which Grandpa Simpson is shown at Woodstock carrying a "Bowser for President" sign and heckling Jimi Hendrix with the shout, "Bring on Sha Na Na!
He stayed focused on the facts of the topic, and never descended into the fray of the personal squabbling. He’d been there.
AA was one of the keepers of Capitol Fax’s institutional memory.
The proceeds have been used to help pay for his kids’ education, which Jon cared for and supported through to his passing. It would have been an honor and a privilege to have known him in the real world.