Biographies

Arthur Ashe

Distinguished Professor
Director, Center for Molecular and Cellular Biology
In 1983, as head of the Viral Oncology Unit at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, he and his colleagues discovered the human retrovirus later to be known as HIV-1, the etiologic agent of AIDS.
In 1985, his team isolated the second human AIDS virus, HIV-2
He co-founded The World Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention in 1993

Distinguished Professor
Director, Center for Molecular and Cellular Biology
In 1983, as head of the Viral Oncology Unit at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, he and his colleagues discovered the human retrovirus later to be known as HIV-1, the etiologic agent of AIDS.
In 1985, his team isolated the second human AIDS virus, HIV-2
He co-founded The World Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention in 1993

Gregory Efthimios Louganis was born in San Diego on Jan. 29, 1960
By the time he was 12, he was doing speed, selling marijuana at school and even attempting suicide
Louganis won his first world platform title in 1978
In 1994, Louganis came out and declared his homosexuality during a videotaped message to athletes competing at Gay Games IV in New York
Feb. 24, 1995-that four-time Olympic-gold-medal diving champion Greg Louganis announced to the world via a televised interview with Barbara Walters on ABC's 20/20 that he is a gay man living with AIDS

Originally from Virginia
Began his career in department store retailing
After working as a Design Director for a well known sportswear firm, Perry was given the opportunity to create his own division, which he named Portfolio
In 1978 his success enabled him to become the head of his own Women's Sportswear Collection
By 1980 he felt confident that his design sensibility would also be appropriate for men's sportswear
He became known for his non-traditional, modern classics, and was lauded for consistently creating innovative fashion with "a twist".

Real Name: Leroy Harold Scherer, Jr.
Birth: 17 November 1925, Winnetka, Illinois
Biography: "My Story" by Rock Hudson with Sara Davidson
After graduating from high school, he worked as a mail carrier and was a Navy airplane mechanic during WW II.
With time and practice he prevailed and by the mid-50s, after 'Magnificent Obsession', was among the leading stars on the Universal lot.
Academy Award: Nominated 1957 Best Actor for 'Giant'
Golden Globe: Winner 1959 World Film Favorite: Male
Golden Globe: Winner 1960 World Film Favorite: Male
Golden Globe: Co-Winner 1961 World Film Favorite: Male, Tony Curtis
Golden Globe: Winner 1963 World Film Favorite: Male
Spouse: Phyllis Gates (1955 - 1958), agent's secretary
His death at 59 of complications from AIDS astounded many of his fans, who were unaware of his homosexuality. His search for a cure focused worldwide attention on AIDS. He was the first major public figure to acknowledge openly that he was suffering from the disease.
Died on October 2, 1985, Beverly Hills, California

Roy Marcus Cohn was born on February 20, 1927 in New York City
At the age of 20 he graduated from Columbia Law school
After being admitted to the bar the next year, he used his connections to get on the staff of the United States Attorney in Manhattan
Appointed chief counsel to Joseph McCarthy's subcommittee, Cohn became the grand inquisitor in McCarthy's ferocious attempts to ferret out "the Communist threat."
During the seventies he was a regular at the notorious and trendy disco Club 54
In June, 1986, near death from what he said was liver cancer, he was disbarred from practicing law in New York State by the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court on the grounds that his legal conduct had been "unethical," "unprofessional" and "reprehensible."
On August 2, 1986, he died of cardio-pulmonary arrest. The death certificate listed secondary causes as "underlying HTLV-3 infections" and AIDS-related "dementia."

December 6, 1971, Ryan Wayne White was born
December 26, 1984, Ryan's mother, Jeanne, told him that he had AIDS (he contracted it through a transfusion of tainted blood used in treating his hemophilia)
On April 8, 1990 Ryan died