June 1892
Originally called the Grand Leader, Stix, Baer & Fuller was founded by Charles Stix, brothers Julius and Sigmond Baer, and Aaron Fuller. Located on the North side of Washington Avenue between Sixth and Seventh streets, for many years the company was known as the leading high end fashion store in the St. Louis Metro Area.
1918
Born to Marguerite S. and Sidney R. Baer and heir to the Stix, Baer & Fuller empire, Sidney was automatically a public figure within the St. Louis community. Sidney R. Baer, Sr. was an active member of the philanthropic and social scenes of the early 1900s. Sidney, Jr. (sometimes called Junie) had one brother, S. Charles Baer.
1920
Stix, Baer & Fuller grew at rapid speeds under the leadership of Sidney R. Baer, Jr.’s predecessors. The company was a longtime member of the American Merchandising Companies (AMC), a trade association of important, locally owned department stores across the US. It was a public company with its stock traded on the NYSE.
1922
SBF was a staple in the St. Louis metro area. As Sidney grew up, so did the influence and clout of both his family and their business. Sidney spent time in the department store during his youth, learning best practices about both management and retail from various managers and board members.
1930
As early as 6 years old, Sidney exhibited unusual behavior. Because of his wealth and public image, he was frequently the subject of gossip and news. With time, Sidney’s schizophrenic tendencies, at the time labeled “eccentric,” made him a target for both the social elite and the local police. One benefit of Sidney’s family’s influence…
1932
Sidneys erratic behavior continued and as incidents became more and more frequent, Sidney transitioned from being considered “strange” to “dangerous” and was more avidly observed by law enforcement. However, because of his family’s wealth, he was still able to escape jail time. Unfortunately, Sidney was not able to avoid the irreparable damage caused to both his personal and professional reputation; a stigma that would follow him for the entirety of his adult life.
1936
Sidney comes from a long line of Yale University graduates. Like many wealthy families of his day, it was the expectation that he both attend and graduate from Yale just like his father. Sidney viewed his acceptance to Yale as an excellent opportunity to prove his worth. He traveled to Connecticut and began his education with eager anticipation of what his future had in store.
1938
In 1938 Sidney suffered a mental breakdown as a result of the pressures associated with his education at Yale University. It was his first schizophrenic break and one of the biggest points of shame in his life. Without the social and educational support that might be available to Sidney today, he was permanently removed from the university and institutionalized for the first time.
Sidney’s stay at a mental health facility left a great deal to be desired. He was not officially diagnosed as schizophrenic at this time and, as antipsychotic drug therapies were not yet available, Sidney was simply given time to rest and rejuvenate before returning to St. Louis to resume his life exactly as it had been before his symptoms worsened.
1948
The evidence concerning the social standing of the parties, their station in life, the manner in which they lived and the funds necessary to maintain was about as follows: They lived in one-half of a “brand-new” two-story duplex owned by Sidney. There were three rooms on the first floor, fully carpeted with wool rugs…
1952
After failing to obey a traffic signal, Sidney R. Baer, Jr. is arrested for resisting arrest in downtown St. Louis. Ultimately the charges are dropped and Sidney merely pays a $5 fine for violating traffic laws. Arresting officer, Robert Greenburg, admits to applying more pressure than was necessary when subduing Baer.
Baer, whose only brush with electronics came in radio school in the Army, was an innovative and driven man committed to succeeding outside of the reach of his family and of his own gumption.
This project was the only electronically operated restaurant in this vicinity, although there was one at Hudson’s department store in Detroit which has one electric eye. “But this set-up is a lot different.” emphasized Sidney’s business partner: “As a matter of fact, it’s so elaborate, we didn’t know whether it would work until it did.” An estimated 1800 persons visited the restaurant its first day and about half of them were successful in getting to one of the 44 counter seats.
1966
Although Sidney’s true goal was to protect the legacy of Stix, Baer & Fuller, things did not go as planned. Associated Dry Goods attempted to buy SBF at $25 a share. Seeing an opportunity to turn a profit in a bad situation, Sidney demanded $75 a piece for the sale of his shares. Once again murmurs of “Sidney R. Baer, Jr. is crazy.” floated through the board rooms and newspapers. Sidney’s response was “I may be crazy, but it has nothing to do with the value of this company.” Ultimately, Sidney received his asking price, which was the first time he had independently generated his own cash flow.
After the sale of SBF to Associated Dry Goods, a disgruntled board member took to the media to villainize Sidney for the outcome of the sale. Sidney responded by purchasing a full page ad in the WSJ detailing the proceedings of the business transaction, humiliating a variety of stakeholders. This move made Sidney incredibly unpopular in the business community and he was consequently ostracized and isolated, resulting in a second mental break.
1972
Sidney entered his second stint in treatment voluntarily. He could have left the institution at any time, but instead recognized his need for reintegration support. He transferred all of his funds to Mercantile Trust and spent time recuperating under professional care, at which point he was officially diagnosed as Schizophrenic.
1978
After his release, Sidney initially attempted to live with an aunt who, struggling to deal with Sidney’s mental and emotional needs, refused to care for him long-term. Sidney then takes up residence in an unfinished hotel and lived a fruitful life in Boston.
1981
As Sidney began to accumulate more and more wealth outside of his initial inheritance, it became clear that he would require the assistance of a lawyer. When his family attorney Arthur Shipley passed away in 1981, Sidney met George Handran and asked George to take a look at his will. George informed Sidney that his will was completely inadequate and began to coach Sidney away from simply donating money to existing causes, but rather fulfilling Sidney’s long-term goal of “giving money to things that truly matter” by establishing a trust.
1989
By 1989, Sidney had access to both the medications and the treatment necessary to keep his mental illness in check. Sidney frequently compared the quality of care he received in 1989 to the first time he was institutionalized in 1938. He was keenly aware of the progress that had been made in the field of mental health and lived the remainder of his life with institutional care.
1999
Starting with one million dollars, George and Sidney established The Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Foundation. The goal was, first, to give Sidney greater control over the impact of his legacy. Simply donating a large sum did not guarantee that Sidney’s life’s work would truly make a difference. By establishing a trust, Sidney’s name was given a sort of longevity that could be permanently used as a catalyst for positive change.
The second goal of the trust was to prevent other individuals with schizophrenia from suffering through life the same way that Sidney did. As Sidney neared death, his shame over dropping out of Yale and no longer having any strong ties to family were a constant point of pain for him. He was a highly successful business man whose mental illness isolated him both socially and emotionally. Through modernized counseling and treatment, Sidney slowly learned to separate who he was as a person from his disease, but not without appreciating how long his journey to this realization had been. Sidney saw that no amount of money could have made his life easier, but progress and innovation in the field of mental health could have. The Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Foundation was thus founded on a pledge to reach individuals suffering from schizophrenia in the most impactful way possible.
2002
And the entirety of his estate, $50 million, is transferred to The Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Foundation.