Frutchey, Chuck

Chuck was a great man, generous with his brilliant mind and on the front edge of sex-positive prevention efforts from the beginning of the HIV pandemic. His work in the field expanded far beyond his local impact on a hard-hit city, and became both national and international as we all struggled to beat back the sex-phobic and homophobic underpinnings of the HIV crisis affecting LGBT people so prominently. His friends and loved ones felt deeply his humor, his goodness, his rowdiness, and his commitment to our community and grieve his loss to this day.

Chuck is featured in a wonderful 28-minute long home video, probably taped in 1990 so, made by Allan Berube that is in the collection of the GLBT Historical Society, and may be viewed online (right now on Youtube) called Garrison's Grand Tour. In the video, Allan and Garrison Habsburg walk around the Castro on a beautiful, hot and sunny day and go to Garrison's apartment and then meet up with Chuck Frutchey and Steven Speier in their apartment at 574 Castro. The video starts with Allan and Garrison walking to Garrison's apartment at 296 Church street, apparently just having returned from the beach, and doing a tour of the apartment and listening to phone messages while Garrison changes and opens up windows and blinds to let the light and breeze in, and then they walk to Castro street and look at various stores before hanging out with Chuck and Steve and having a very sweet chat. The video ends with Garrison sleeping, or pretending to sleep, naked on his bed at 296 Church, and Allan zooms in on his butt, where he has written filmed by Allan Berube. A very sweet afternoon in the sun that really shows the personalities of everyone in the video. Chuck is shown sitting on his steps in at 574 Castro, doing edits to a grant proposal, and then having a playful chat with Garrison. Very sweet.