#TomCassidy (Aug. 12, 1949 - May 26, 1991) was the TV business anchor for CNN and the founder of the weekend show Pinnacle in 1982. He died of AIDS aged 41. . Cassidy's was diagnosed as HIV positive in 1987. He discussed his life with HIV and his decision to go public with it on his show including revealing his diagnosis to his family on camera in order to better educate the public about HIV/AIDS disease. . A native of Boston, Cassidy graduated from Bowdoin College in 1972 and received two master's degrees from Columbia University. . As Cassidy's will@endowed Bowdoin with a lectureship in which journalists give lectures on a wide variety of topics each year. Thomas J. Cassidy lecturers at Bowdoin have included: Lou Dobbs of CNN; Linda Wertheimer of National Public Radio; Andrew Serwer of Fortune Magazine; and Amanda Griscom Little, environmental writer for The New York Times and The Washington Post. . Cassidy went to CNN from Mutual Radio in Chicago, where he was business editor. He began his broadcasting career in 1978 as a reporter and anchor for KEZI-TV in Eugene, Oregon. He then moved to KGO-TV in San Francisco.