LAMBDA
C37S
The Carolina Gay & Lesbian Association Newsletter
Volume 15, Number 1
October 1988
NAMES QUILT RETURNS TO D.C.
3The weekend of October 8th and 9th,
many members of CGLA returned to
Washington, D.C. to see the AIDS Quilt,
produced by the San Francisco based
NAMES Project.
Those of us who were at the National
March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay
Rights last October remember with great
clarity the images of the massive quilt
on the mall bearing the names of almost
2,000 people who had died of AIDS.
That pain was redoubled for us upon our
return this year. The Quilt had grown
in size to represent 8,288 names and
was the size of eight football fields.
This year, I personally knew one of
those names. The first panel I looked
for drew me to tears the instant I saw
it. I gazed down at the name: Scott
Hustead. His name was surrounded by a
medley of cartoon super-heroes and
dinosaurs, along with a heart bearing
the names of his loved ones, and his
birth and death dates. I cried because
Scott had been such an important force
in North Carolina's fight against AIDS,
and also because he was such a kind
person to me and to everyone he met. I
miss him greatly.
There were other panels to see,
including those of Chapel Hill
residents and graduates of UNC. The
whole experience was quite sobering;
the Quilt has a foreboding effect which
makes you realize how much pain was
endured by those who have died.
Last year when I first saw the Quilt,
it seemed to me that it was alive and
screaming at those who walked through
as if to say, "Help us spread the word!
Don't let AIDS wipe out any more voices
or end any more dreams I It's up to you
to stop this disease!” Since then,
many more people have dedicated
themselves to do just that.
I would encourage you to go see the
Quilt when the new national tour dates
are announced. You may learn much
about pain, love and remembrance. And
you just might find someone you love
there.
--Mark Donahue
REMEMBERING WAIN...
Wain Whitfield Gaskill, former UNC
student and aspiring actor, has died of
complications from AIDS. He left this
world shortly after 1:00pm on Sunday,
October 16, following a four week rest
at North Carolina Memorial Hospital.
Wain is survived by his family and a
large circle of friends, who miss him
dearly. Dozens of close friends spent
time with Wain and his family over the
past several weeks, communicating their
love and support. Wain, his family,
the hospital staff, and all those who
had befriended him, worked as an
interdependent team to make Wain s
departure and the emotional support of
his survivors as peaceful and nurturing
as possible.
In this life. Wain's independence,
charm, and wit were the stuff of
legend. He was always an original
thinker and blazed many a trail in both
his thoughts and deeds. Those who knew
him had their lives irrevocably altered
and redefined, usually with little
warning. Wain's commanding persona and
sharp tongue helped him immensely in
dealing with an often backwards world.
His outspokenness gained him respect,
and sometimes controversy.
I will always be reminded of Tina
Turner's song, "I Might Have Been
Queen" when I think of Wain. Tina was
one of Wain's dearest loves, and he
impersonated her with a passion. Here
are some of the words which apply to
Wain:
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
f
i-
I
i i
Pli
■
[V- ■'
rip
iK'