Franco, Salvador

Salvador was a very treasured friend in my early coming out years in SF & NYC. I had the great pleasure of knowing a person from my neck of the woods, Plainview, Texas which was only 40 miles from Lubbock, Texas. Salvador & I found each other in SF just as I was stepping out of the closet. We had a special affinity in our friendship due to the geographical area where we grew up. Salvador's enthusiasm for life, learning, and aspirations for a good gay life were inspirational to me. Coming out of the closet relatively late at age 27 and finding myself in SF during the national coming out decade of the 70s with Salvador was not only serendipitous, he opened new doors of personal expression and joy that I had never known. In the early 80s, we both wound up on the East Coast. Salvador went with his new partner to NYC who set up a practice there while I moved to Wash., D.C. for a new job. Salvador and his partner's generosity provided me with an open invitation to their loft in NYC allowed me very many visits to experience many arts and gay events that otherwise would have been impossible. In his last year or so, I moved to the Caribbean for another job. While attending a job related conference in D.C., Sal asked me to come up to NYC so that we could go out and experience the good old days. I didn't go because I knew that his request was just not possible. But, to this day, I regret not having gone; I missed the real reason for his request. To say a final goodbye. So, Salvador taught me a very important lesson in living life. Don't take your friends for granted and don't be afraid to see or experience their pain. As painful as it may be giving a few moments of time to a dying friend should always be honored. A good friend is a friend in all circumstances of life. Our friendship meant more than I ever realized until it was taken by AIDS. I sorely miss Salvador to this day.