“Starting in the late 80’s I began to get word of the death of friends from across the country due to AIDS. In 1990 our next door neighbor died in San Francisco, then my first life partner in 1991 and by the end of the 90’s I lost my best friend, my 2 nd life partner and over 100 people I called my friend!!! I became numb to the loss and felt like I was losing all hope for a future I once dreamed of. Having a place to Remember those lost, to Celebrate their beautiful lives and to feel their Love is an important part of my healing and remembrance of all those many beautiful lives taken too soon. My remaining life is dedicated to ensuring their names are remembered and their stories are told for future generations and the vision that never again will a community be harmed because of fear, silence, discrimination or stigma!!”

– Mike Richey

“I was born and raised in Toronto. Back in 1992, I was transferred to San Francisco for work. On a weekly basis, I would pick up a copy of the Bay Area Reporter community newspaper to view multiple pages of those who had passed away from AIDS; sometimes, it included someone who I had met since moving, maybe it was a neighbor, sometimes a co-worker. It was a devastating time. At the suggestion of a friend, I began volunteering to clear trash and invasive plants from the de Laveaga Dell in Golden Gate Park, helping to re-plant and create what would become the National AIDS Memorial. The work allowed me to escape, to grieve, and to remember. It was cathartic.

In 2019, my husband and I moved to Palm Springs for our next life adventure. I learned of the work already begun by the PS AIDS Memorial Task Force – to place a memorial sculpture in a park setting. The team’s goal spoke to me, and I joined. I hope that my efforts will provide Palms Springs residents and visitors a place to honor, cherish, and celebrate those lives impacted by, and lost to, HIV/AIDS.”

– Stuart Kent

“I was born and raised in Toronto. Back in 1992, I was transferred to San Francisco for work. On a weekly basis, I would pick up a copy of the Bay Area Reporter community newspaper to view multiple pages of those who had passed away from AIDS; sometimes, it included someone who I had met since moving, maybe it was a neighbor, sometimes a co-worker. It was a devastating time. At the suggestion of a friend, I began volunteering to clear trash and invasive plants from the de Laveaga Dell in Golden Gate Park, helping to re-plant and create what would become the National AIDS Memorial. The work allowed me to escape, to grieve, and to remember. It was cathartic.

In 2019, my husband and I moved to Palm Springs for our next life adventure. I learned of the work already begun by the PS AIDS Memorial Task Force – to place a memorial sculpture in a park setting. The team’s goal spoke to me, and I joined. I hope that my efforts will provide Palms Springs residents and visitors a place to honor, cherish, and celebrate those lives impacted by, and lost to, HIV/AIDS.”

– Stuart Kent

“I was born and raised in Toronto. Back in 1992, I was transferred to San Francisco for work. On a weekly basis, I would pick up a copy of the Bay Area Reporter community newspaper to view multiple pages of those who had passed away from AIDS; sometimes, it included someone who I had met since moving, maybe it was a neighbor, sometimes a co-worker. It was a devastating time. At the suggestion of a friend, I began volunteering to clear trash and invasive plants from the de Laveaga Dell in Golden Gate Park, helping to re-plant and create what would become the National AIDS Memorial. The work allowed me to escape, to grieve, and to remember. It was cathartic.

In 2019, my husband and I moved to Palm Springs for our next life adventure. I learned of the work already begun by the PS AIDS Memorial Task Force – to place a memorial sculpture in a park setting. The team’s goal spoke to me, and I joined. I hope that my efforts will provide Palms Springs residents and visitors a place to honor, cherish, and celebrate those lives impacted by, and lost to, HIV/AIDS.”

– Stuart Kent

“Starting in the late 80’s I began to get word of the death of friends from across the country due to AIDS. In 1990 our next door neighbor died in San Francisco, then my first life partner in 1991 and by the end of the 90’s I lost my best friend, my 2 nd life partner and over 100 people I called my friend!!! I became numb to the loss and felt like I was losing all hope for a future I once dreamed of. Having a place to Remember those lost, to Celebrate their beautiful lives and to feel their Love is an important part of my healing and remembrance of all those many beautiful lives taken too soon. My remaining life is dedicated to ensuring their names are remembered and their stories are told for future generations and the vision that never again will a community be harmed because of fear, silence, discrimination or stigma!!”

– Mike Richey