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David Bayer
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Lane Funeral Home
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Elizabeth Capiau
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Obituary for David C Bayer

David C  Bayer
David C. Bayer
Born in 1928 in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Methodist Minister Rev. E. George Bayer and Eleanor M. Cofran, David spent his early years in Northern New Jersey and graduated from Teaneck (NJ) High School. He attended Kents Hill Junior College (Maine) and received a B.A. Degree from Muhlenberg College in 1951. He served in the U.S. Army for two years and then received an MEd from Rutgers University in 1958.
David taught Modern History at West Orange N.J. High School where he coached baseball and ice hockey in addition to active involvement in many high school activities. Following a brief stint as Assistant Director of Student Personnel at Patterson State College, he became Assistant Director of the N.J. State Scholarship Commission.
When Congress authorized the Guaranteed Student Loan Program in the Higher Education Act of 1965, David was Director of the New Jersey Guaranteed Student Loan Program, one of 17 states having student loan programs, prior to enactment of the nationwide program. At that time, he was also President of the National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs (NCHELP).
In 1966, he began his Federal employment with the U.S. Office of Education, then part of the former Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare. For 20 years, he was the policy chief in Washington of the Guaranteed Student Loan Program and had oversight responsibility for the entire program. During this period, he was also Chairman of the interagency Task Force of HEW, Treasury, OMB and Fannie Mae staff that planned the establishment of Sallie Mae after Congress chartered that organization in 1972.
In 1976, at the request of John Snyder, President Truman’s Treasury Secretary, David was detailed to establish the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, the Federal Government’s living memorial to the former President. In addition to his student loan responsibilities, he was asked by the HEW Secretary to establish the newly authorized loan program for health professions students, the Health Education Assistance Loan (HEAL) Program, which today is administered by the Dept. of Health and Human Services.
In 1986, David requested to be transferred to the Boston Regional Office of the U.S. Dept. of Education to assist his wife with the care of her parents who were advancing in years. He was appointed the Director for Student Financial Assistance for the eastern regional offices of Boston, New York and Philadelphia.
Much of David’s latter career was spent in assisting the Justice Dept. as an expert government witness in a variety of litigation cases involving the Guaranteed Student Loan Program. Among staff in the Dept. of Education, he was often referred to as “Mr. GSL.” He retired in 1996 upon a successful Directed Verdict that ended a trial in Rome, Georgia, “Shorter v. Riley”, which, if the case had been lost, would have cost the government many millions of dollars.
David resided in Winchester, MA, his wife’s hometown, for 14 years. During their retirement, David and Alice traveled abroad and maintained homes in Melrose, Osterville and Washington DC.
David is survived by his wife of 40 years, Alice Fitzgerald, who retired in 2001 as the New England Regional Comptroller of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Mrs. Fitzgerald had 39 years with the government including the Labor Department, Peace Corps Volunteer in Peru, the Small Business Administration, and the U.S. Office of Education before completing her career with the EPA in Washington and Boston.
David is also survived by his sister, Kathryn (Kay) Anderson of Danvers, MA and Northwood, NH. Kathryn is the wife of John W. Anderson.

David has two daughters, both living in Seattle, Lynne Bayer Saboe and Nancy Kathryn Forsberg, one grandson, John (Jack) Christian Forsberg, four step-grandchildren and ten step-great grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held this Saturday the 8th at Lane Funeral Home in Winchester, MA followed by burial at Calvary Cemetery, also in Winchester, MA. While the service starts at 11:00 a.m., doors will open at 10:00 to receive friends and family.
The family has asked in lieu of flowers, to please donate to The Greenwood Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, 90 Greenwood Street, Wakefield, MA 01880, for their compassion and care, and in remembrance of David.
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