It is with great sadness that I write to inform you of the passing of Charles Lloyd Bauer ’55, an alumnus and lifelong friend of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, on March 27 at the age of 90.

Lloyd initially planned to enroll at Boston University but was recruited to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute by legendary coach Ned Harkness in 1951 and played varsity hockey for Rensselaer for all four years. He was a member of the NCAA Division I Championship team in 1954. He was also a member of Theta Xi, in which he remained active for the rest of his life. Lloyd graduated from Rensselaer in 1955 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgical Engineering.

He went on to earn a Master of Engineering in 1959, and a Doctor of Engineering in 1961, both from Yale University. After Yale, he became a professor of metallurgy and materials science at Carnegie Mellon University. His research resulted in roughly 150 books and technical articles, and he was invited to consult and teach in Japan, Germany, Switzerland, and France, among others. He retired from Carnegie Mellon as professor emeritus in 1998.

Throughout his career and beyond, Lloyd remained engaged with his alma mater. His $2 million gift in 2022 established the C. Lloyd Bauer ’55 Endowed Men’s Varsity Ice Hockey Coach to support the legacy and tradition of hockey at RPI. He and his wife, Janet, made several other gifts to Rensselaer over the years to endow the Charles W. and Dorothy F. Bauer Scholarship in memory of Lloyd’s parents, who always emphasized the value of education.

I count myself lucky to have met Lloyd at an alumni event in Florida early in my time as president, and I was especially honored to host him in the presidential suite at the Big Red Freakout not long after that. Lloyd was an RPI athletics legend. His life and career exemplify what our graduates are capable of, and his generosity will benefit the Rensselaer community for generations to come.

In addition to Janet, Lloyd is survived by his children, David and Lisa, and his loving grandchildren and great-granddaughter.