Conrad, Pryor

When Pryor moved to San Francisco from Birmingham in August 1981, I traveled with him cross country along with another friend. It was a wonderful 2-to-3-week trip; Pryor planned all the itinerary. We did a lot of sightseeing including the Great Sand Dunes, Mt Elbert-with a climb to the top of the mountain, Denver, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Los Angeles. We stayed in hotels 50% of the trip and camped the rest of the time. I stayed in San Francisco for about 3-months and returned to Birmingham so I could finish university. I only saw him once after I returned to Alabama. We lost touch after that. I did not know that Pryor had passed away until I started doing genealogical research a few years ago. Not only did I learn that Pryor had passed but also a number of friends and past boyfriends had died from HIV/AIDS in Birmingham. Pryor was one-of-a-kind. He loved the Rolling Stones and Mick Jagger. In Pryor’s eyes, Mick was the greatest singer and entertainer of all time and no one on Earth came close to Mick’s genius. On most Saturday nights while living in Birmingham, our group of friends would meet at Pryor and his partner’s apartment, to have some beers and prep for a night in the clubs. So many times, Pryor would come walking out of his bedroom with bell bottom pants and platform shoes looking like he had time traveled from 1973. His partner would protest and tell him he needed to change because no one dressed like that anymore, but I loved the platform shoes. To this day, if I see platform shoes, I think of Pryor. Pryor always referred to me as Ms. Adkins. Whenever he saw me either in the clubs or in a social setting, he would always greet me with, “How are you Ms. Adkins?” I can still hear his voice in my head. I am thankful that I have not forgotten the sound of his voice. Pryor was a good man, nice to everyone and easy to talk to. Wherever Pryor’s soul and spirit are today, I hope he is happy and dancing to his favorite songs by the Stones. -Billy