of Freshman Writing Volume 1, Number 1 FCCJ South * Communications Winter 1991 "We Miss Your Blue Eyes" I first became aware ofthe AIDS Quilt in September of 1987 during a visit to San Francisco. While walk- ing through the Castro Area,I came across the store front ofThe Names Project. In the window were pictures ofa quilt made from over2,000 dif- ferent panels;each panel represented the life ofsomeone who had died from AIDS(Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). Having lost a very close friend to AIDS in April ofthat year,I began to cry. A man from inside the shop saw that I was upset by the pictures of the Quilt and came outside to see if I needed some help or possibly justsomeone to talk with. At his re- quest I followed him inside. I told him about the death ofmy friend and how the pictures ofthe Quilt brought back so many memories ofLarry. "Why don't you make a panel for yourfriend?"he asked;"it is a way that you could show how much you remember him,as well as miss him." "Where do I begin?" was my re- ply. He supplied me with the necessary instructions for making the panel, along with letting me know thatit would be displayed in Washington, D.C.,on The Mall between the Lin- coln Monument and the United States Capitol building December the 9th, 10th,and llth of 1988. I was unaware at the time ofjust how much ofan influence the Quilt would have on my life. It wasn't until December of 1988 that I came to understand how many lives had been lost to AIDS and the impactthat it had on society. The unfolding ofthe Quilt was scheduled for 10:00 a.m.on Decem- ber 9,1988. I was standing across from the White House on the side- walk that parallels Constitution Av- enue. Over a mile away I could see the Capitol Building. The section of the Quiltthat Larry's panel had been sewn onto lay rolled-up in frontof me. Each segmentofthe Quilt was made from twelve different panels, each being three feet wide by six feet long. At precisely 10:00 a.m.the by Ronald Kirkham like Rock Hudson who were well known or famous,I saw more than one panel. But whataffected me most about the Quilt was that over fifty percent ofthe panels belonged to those between the ages oftwenty-five and thirty-five. Each face I saw in the crowd was a stranger,butI found myselfhugging people or grasping their hands. It was a time when everyone put prejudices aside and gathered as one family to share in the loss of ourfriends. The speaker that day described it in this manner "Just as threads hold each panel ofthe Quilttogether,so does the com- mon thread ofloss hold each of our lives together. Take the pain you feel in your heart for the person you represent here today and multiply it by eight thousand. Now! Can you understand how AIDS is affecting our lives?" At6:00 p.m.the refolding ofthe Quilt began. One lasttime I stood and looked at Larry's panel. I saw the drawings ofthe black orchids(his favorite flower),the picture when he was thirty-five in 1986,and the inscription that his friends decided on,"We miss your blue eyes." I reached down and took hold ofthe Quilt,and at that momentI knew my life would never be the same. As the last panel wasfolded and the ground was once again absent ofits beauty, the crowd ofover 300,000 stood, completely encompassing The Mall. The sightofthis rendered me speech- less. Reluctantly,the crowd dispersed around 7:00 p.m. Later in the evening I learned that this would be the last time that the Quilt would be displayed in one place (Continued on page2) "The reality that AIDS, like a thief, had taken my best friend swelled within my heart." unrolling ofthe Quilt began. Each section was placed in the center ofa square bound on each side by a canvas fourfeet wide. Asthe Quilt was unrolled I caught a glimpse ofLarry's panel; and standing within a crowd ofthousands,I suddenly felt alone. The reality that AIDS,like a thief,had taken my bestfriend swelled within my heart. Once the Quilt was displayed in its entirety (covering overfourteen acres and amounting to overeight thousand panels),the reading ofthe names of the deceased began. Aseach name was announced I strained to hear Larry's name. At 1:42 p.m. my wait was over. AsIlooked around at all the dif- ferent panels,I saw that some had only a name painted across them, while others had pictures encased in plastic sewn onto different areas. There were panels with a favorite hat,jacketor stuffed animal,or a drawing that depicted the person's talent. Every color and style imagin- able was used to try to describe the history ofsomeone's life. For those , OCR Text: of Freshman Writing Volume 1, Number 1 FCCJ South * Communications Winter 1991 "We Miss Your Blue Eyes" I first became aware ofthe AIDS Quilt in September of 1987 during a visit to San Francisco. While walk- ing through the Castro Area,I came across the store front ofThe Names Project. In the window were pictures ofa quilt made from over2,000 dif- ferent panels;each panel represented the life ofsomeone who had died from AIDS(Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). Having lost a very close friend to AIDS in April ofthat year,I began to cry. A man from inside the shop saw that I was upset by the pictures of the Quilt and came outside to see if I needed some help or possibly justsomeone to talk with. At his re- quest I followed him inside. I told him about the death ofmy friend and how the pictures ofthe Quilt brought back so many memories ofLarry. "Why don't you make a panel for yourfriend?"he asked;"it is a way that you could show how much you remember him,as well as miss him." "Where do I begin?" was my re- ply. He supplied me with the necessary instructions for making the panel, along with letting me know thatit would be displayed in Washington, D.C.,on The Mall between the Lin- coln Monument and the United States Capitol building December the 9th, 10th,and llth of 1988. I was unaware at the time ofjust how much ofan influence the Quilt would have on my life. It wasn't until December of 1988 that I came to understand how many lives had been lost to AIDS and the impactthat it had on society. The unfolding ofthe Quilt was scheduled for 10:00 a.m.on Decem- ber 9,1988. I was standing across from the White House on the side- walk that parallels Constitution Av- enue. Over a mile away I could see the Capitol Building. The section of the Quiltthat Larry's panel had been sewn onto lay rolled-up in frontof me. Each segmentofthe Quilt was made from twelve different panels, each being three feet wide by six feet long. At precisely 10:00 a.m.the by Ronald Kirkham like Rock Hudson who were well known or famous,I saw more than one panel. But whataffected me most about the Quilt was that over fifty percent ofthe panels belonged to those between the ages oftwenty-five and thirty-five. Each face I saw in the crowd was a stranger,butI found myselfhugging people or grasping their hands. It was a time when everyone put prejudices aside and gathered as one family to share in the loss of ourfriends. The speaker that day described it in this manner "Just as threads hold each panel ofthe Quilttogether,so does the com- mon thread ofloss hold each of our lives together. Take the pain you feel in your heart for the person you represent here today and multiply it by eight thousand. Now! Can you understand how AIDS is affecting our lives?" At6:00 p.m.the refolding ofthe Quilt began. One lasttime I stood and looked at Larry's panel. I saw the drawings ofthe black orchids(his favorite flower),the picture when he was thirty-five in 1986,and the inscription that his friends decided on,"We miss your blue eyes." I reached down and took hold ofthe Quilt,and at that momentI knew my life would never be the same. As the last panel wasfolded and the ground was once again absent ofits beauty, the crowd ofover 300,000 stood, completely encompassing The Mall. The sightofthis rendered me speech- less. Reluctantly,the crowd dispersed around 7:00 p.m. Later in the evening I learned that this would be the last time that the Quilt would be displayed in one place (Continued on page2) "The reality that AIDS, like a thief, had taken my best friend swelled within my heart." unrolling ofthe Quilt began. Each section was placed in the center ofa square bound on each side by a canvas fourfeet wide. Asthe Quilt was unrolled I caught a glimpse ofLarry's panel; and standing within a crowd ofthousands,I suddenly felt alone. The reality that AIDS,like a thief,had taken my bestfriend swelled within my heart. Once the Quilt was displayed in its entirety (covering overfourteen acres and amounting to overeight thousand panels),the reading ofthe names of the deceased began. Aseach name was announced I strained to hear Larry's name. At 1:42 p.m. my wait was over. AsIlooked around at all the dif- ferent panels,I saw that some had only a name painted across them, while others had pictures encased in plastic sewn onto different areas. There were panels with a favorite hat,jacketor stuffed animal,or a drawing that depicted the person's talent. Every color and style imagin- able was used to try to describe the history ofsomeone's life. For those , Z ArchiveInABox,JAX,Voices of Freshman Writing,Scans,1991 Winter,1991 Winter 1 Page 1, 1991 Winter 1 Page 1