. . “I’ve often wondered if I hadn’t chosen to leave NYC in 1979 for college if I might have contracted AIDS myself. Born in NYC in 1961, I didn’t “truly” embrace my sexuality until I returned home from college in 1983 and by then we were all on high alert over the “epidemic.” . But that didn’t stop me from living and I tried to find my way as a young gay man in NYC by joining the Gay Men’s Chorus, Lavender Light: The Black & People of All Colors Lesbian & Gay Gospel Choir, Congregation Beth Simchat Torah and of course, trekking out to The Pines during those early summers. . It was also during that time that I met wonderful men who were, for the most part, slightly older than myself, say 5-10 years older. Safe sex wasn’t necessarily a part of their coming out as it was for mine and sadly I watched as many of them got sick and passed away. These men were my mentors and yet they were disappearing before my very eyes. . I have already submitted memorials here for my 1st boyfriend #BobDennett and also one for my best friend #TomMackanin, both whom died from AIDS before I turned 30. Luckily I had plenty of photos of both of them and have already posted memorials to them. . But sadly I don’t have photos of any of the other men whose memorial services and funerals I attended back then and I find myself scanning the posts in @theaidsmemorial hoping I will see their faces again. . I so wish I could include them here but all I have are their names and my memories of them. And so I would like to pay tribute to them by wearing @theaidsmemorialtshirt and writing their names here: . David Leriche, Larry Bryan, Marc Krasnow, Ron Corso, Michael Dennett, Tony Lambert, Guy - can’t recall his last name but had worked for Helmsley, Constantine ?, Andy Cemelli, Fred Chance, David Johnson, Kevin Young, Guillermo Alonzo, Kirk Irons, Larry Schneer, Steven Greenstein, #CarmeloPomodoro, Frank Hartman, Chuck Hanson, Richard Fowler, Anthony Pacheco, #HenryRomanowski. . But I will never stop looking for their faces here!” — by Daniel Sager @danisagernyc . #whatisrememberedlives @theaidsmemorialtshirt #aidsmemorial #neverforget #endaids #tamtee . (at New York, New York)