FrankMorton

Frank Lawry Morton

ca. 1989. Photo by AnitaMartinez

November 1, 1939 -- September 27, 19891

Frank was born in the Annapolis Valley, attended AcadiaUniversity and then the Teachers College in Truro, and lived in Bedford with his lover for many years. His lover became ill with AIDS in 1979 and died in 1984. Frank was diagnosed late that fall.2

"There's a word, 'victim' and I don't want to be an AIDS 'victim'" he said, "You can make the choice between dying of AIDS and living with AIDS."

At the time of his death, Frank was the longest-living AIDS patient in the province.

Frank was the inspiration for the first AIDS Hospice, MortonHouse.

There is an image of his Names Project Quilt panel on file.

DrBobFredrickson writes: He was such a bright eloquent man, so open, honest, and eloquent in the early days of this horror, not a position anyone would wish for, that his observations about even the most minute issues were so instructive. Those early days were individually choreographed ballets into the beyond which were too rapidly become more present in our world. Bless his heart, though, he was always able to find some of the most bizarre humour among these crazy circumstances as sad as it is to say that era could not have had a better source of illumination. In your writing, do not forget to include how supportive his sister Barbara was through this entire ordeal.3

This page is in the AIDSHistoryCategory