University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, AR)

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The Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt moves visitors. N LOVING MEM0R1 “I think it’s different every time you see it because there are different people represented each time. I feel happy with people because people are remembered with the Quilt, but sometimes it’s sad because you see what the people meant to their loved one,” senior Laurie Dela Huerta said. The AIDS Memorial Quilt is a memorial for those people who have died of AIDS. The panels that make up the Quilt come from all over the world. They are then sewn together and dis¬ played across the globe. The University display attracted many people, including those with fam¬ ily and friends with AIDS. “The Quilt made me think about people with AIDS. I have some friends with HIV and it really made me think about them. Some of the pan¬ els made me smile. One said ‘Let the Voyage Con¬ tinue’ on it. It was really nice and pretty,” fresh¬ man Joe Cole said. University Programs, who sponsored the display, hosted an opening night cer¬ emony to get the display started. Attend¬ ees, including sophomore Sejal Darji, thought the ceremony was touching. “I went to the opening ceremony and was very touched. It was beautiful. Ev¬ eryone was quiet and when they did the reading of the names [from the quilts displayed], I was in tears,” Darji said. “If you read the names or read the panels, it makes you realize a lot of people have suffered with the disease.” Many people who came to see the Quill didn’t know how they would react, physi - cally or emotionally. “I didn’t know what to expect. I think it’s moving to see how much everyone cares about these people- It’s like a piece of people is preserved,” freshman Cassie McGrewden said. Fresh man Olivia Walton viewed the Quilt for the first time and recognized the impact of the disease it represents. “I had heard about the Quilt but never seen it, so I came in blind. I came to see it because AIDS is a major issue. It might not affect you now but could later,” Walton said. Linda Mitchell, a nursi at the Health Center, wa| moved by the somber ness of the experience. “I just think it’s a shame that so man! people have died frotf such a painful disease- i It’s like walking through a cemetery ' ' Mitchell said in an interview with TM Arkansas Traveler. In a May, 1995, poll conducted by th s Centers for Disease Control, 54 percefl 1 of American children surveyed said the! think they might contract AIDS. With th e education that the NAMES Project AID- Memorial Quilt brings with it, maybe th lives of these children will be spared. B efore unfolding another panel to be displayed, members of Parents-Friends of Lesbians And Gays (P-FLAG) hold hands and reflect for a moment. The exhibit of the AIDS Quilt was an emotional experience for many of the guests, and vol¬ unteers were on hand at all times to comfort and console guests. [Photo by April Brown] Jennifer Cannon AIDS Memorial Quilt

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W ide-eyed and ready to entertain, J.R. Brow uses a variety of props, including a guitar, to get the crowd to laugh. Although props helped comedians get laughs, most went on stage with nothing but their jokes. [Photo by Robin Gray] T o unwind from a hard day at school, sophomore Jod Rhodes opted for a comedy break. University Programs sponsored the Bust-A-Gut Comedy Series once a week and the event was free for students who paid the activity fee. [Photo by Shauna Ginger] T he comedy group Selected Hilarity performs one of its many skits and songs for the students’ enjoyment. The members of Selected Hilarity have become repeat performers for the Bust-A-Gut series. [Photo by Robin Gray] Bust-A-Gut 29

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T here are enough panels in the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt to cover over three football fields. Panels, like this one of Kent L. Harvey, D.D.S., were given to commemorate the memory of family and friends who died from the AIDS virus. [Photo by Gerald Croson] A fter unfolding the panels, members of Parents- Friends of Lesbians and Gays (P-FLAG) stand around to make sure it is straight and presentable. [Photo by April Brown] M embers from both the Fayetteville community and University community flocked to the Quilt exhibit. Some members even came to see panels of loved ones. [Photo by April Brown] AIDS MemorialQuilt 31