Eazy E. Arthur Ashe. Perry Ellis. Robert Reed. Keith Haring. Ryan White.
The public often remembers these well-known figures who have battled with and died of complications related to AIDS, but they are only eight among the 79,736 people memorialized by the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt since it began in the late 1980s.
The quilt includes Barbie dolls and bubble wrap, car keys and corsets, love letters and legos in the fight to raise AIDS awareness. A portion of the quilt came to the upper level of the Bryan Center yesterday and will be on display from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. until the end of the week.
The display includes 64 individual panels-each 3-by-6 feet, the size of a human grave. Each panel at the exhibit tells a different and unique story of the lives of people who died as a result of AIDS.
A panel sewn in memory of Bill Thomas is adorned by a silver Hershey's Kiss with a quote underneath stating he was, "Well remembered for his wit, and... his kisses."
The life of Lee Graham, who lived from 1957 to 1991, was commemorated with two New York City Marathon T-shirts, a sewn portrayal of a Broadway Playbill for Cats, and a sewn diploma and tassel from the University of Pennsylvania. From the panel for four-year-old Damian Prince to that of 39-year-old Jim Duval-the uncle of display organizer Alexa Panagoulis, a Trinity junior-the exhibit awed observers.
Trinity sophomore Tammy Chang, who sang Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia" with a capella group Lady Blue at the opening, said, "People don't think of AIDS right away and don't think that it's in their lives, but it is [an issue], and the quilt is a great representative of all the people that have died."
Last night, Panagoulis also said a few words about her uncle who passed away from AIDS complications and spoke of the history, goals, and ideals of the NAMES Project. Afterwards, the names of those memorialized by the 64 panels were read, including that of AIDS activist Ryan White.
Guest speaker Roosevelt Johnson also related his experience about living with the HIV virus. Having contracted HIV in 1987, he did not know he was a carrier until he was diagnosed with the virus last November. "When I found out, my world ended. I tried very hard to get it back," he said. Believing that the quilt increases knowledge about the disease, Johnson stressed reaching America's youth. "Children must lead someday, so they must be educated," he said.
Displaying the quilt to undergraduates at the University, both Johnson and Panagoulis believe, is the next step forward.
Panagoulis acknowledges the lack of AIDS awareness on campus.
"I think that as a college population, there is definitely a lot of risky behavior going on, and people don't necessarily take safety precautions," she said.
Panagoulis' initiative to bring the quilt to the University began because of personal loss.
"My uncle died of AIDS in 1989. He was gay, and at that point, it was considered a gay disease," she said. "My family and I were his main care-givers, and we were all around his bed when he died."
Hoping to promote AIDS awareness as well as educate the community about HIV prevention, Panagoulis worked to bring a piece of the 52-ton quilt to the University.
Having received the go-ahead from the NAMES Project Foundation, she soon faced the challenge of raising the necessary $2,000 to pay for the Quilt display.
Panagoulis raised funds through her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, and several other sources including the East Campus Council, Campus Council, the President's Office, the Office of Student Affairs and individual donations from students through FLEX sheets.
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