Francis Dauer, who died in June, 2022, was born in 1940 of a Japanese father and a German mother. Taking his mother's name after the war, he grew up in Detroit, attended Dartmouth College, and received his Ph.D. from Harvard University, where he studied with W.V. Quine. Francis joined the UCSB Philosophy Department in 1970, and was instrumental in the subsequent hiring of faculty who helped to make the Department what it is today. He introduced legions of California's youth to critical thinking through his labyrinthine textbook, and his seminar on Hume, which engaged broad issues in metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of mind, was a rite of passage for generations of graduate students. He published a number of papers in prestigious journals, and served as Chair of the Department. Francis is fondly remembered for his mentoring of younger faculty. He had a broad smile and a dark sense of humor. His friends recall many hours spent with him on the 5th floor balcony, smoking and laughing at the absurdity of it all.