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Tribute by Gus Birkhead, MD, MPH, Director, AIDS Institute, New York State Department of Health
I am here to express condolences on behalf of the whole family
of the AIDS Institute. Keith will be remembered by all of us
as a tireless advocate for persons infected and affected by
HIV and AIDS, and we will miss him greatly.
Keith may not have known it, but he played an important role
in my own initiation into the fight against AIDS when, in 1996
shortly after I came to the AIDS Institute, he led an action
at the first meeting of the newly reconstituted State AIDS Advisory
Council. For anyone who was there it was quite a meeting and
it made me wonder what I had gotten myself into.
Keith and I had a more formal introduction a few weeks later
at a state-wide conference where a "die-in" in support of ADAP
funding was taking place. Keith's comment to me was "it's
ok, let them have a little theater." Those were just two of
the many sides of Keith, fully willing and able to take action,
or to engage in a little theater, as the occasion warranted.
Over the years, I saw many of Keith's sides as we have dealt
with the ever changing epidemic. Keith was always true to his
principles, and his commitment was unwavering.
The best way that we can honor and remember Keith, is to continue
his work on behalf of the disadvantaged and the underserved.
The family of the AIDS Institute and I are committed to keeping
his memory alive through that work.
In closing, I want to read from a letter that State Health Commissioner
Antonia Novello sent to Charles last week. These are her words:
"Keith was a unique and dynamic combination of driving purpose,
great strength, deep knowledge, unending compassion and very
little tolerance for the weak at heart. He could always "see
the forest for the trees" and often cleared our vision to see
it as well. One minute he had you so irritated you wanted to
scream, the next he was the person you loved most in the world;
sweet, loving, tender, considerate and always placing the organizational
needs ahead of his own."
"Above all, Keith challenged us every one of us, all the time.
Our work was never enough and would never be enough to suit
him. There was still so much to do, so many lives to save and
so much love to give. Keith accomplished more in one short lifetime
than most anyone we can think of. Still, he left much for us
to do and he expects that we will do it. He would be impatient
that we are even taking this time to remember him. I can hear
him, can't you, "Why are you wasting precious time here…..there
is so much to do…our people are dying."
There is a beautiful quote from Jacob Lamar, Jr. honoring Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. "Honoring Justice's Drum Major," which
is a befitting tribute to Keith as well:
"He never commanded an army, never held political office, never
made a fortune nor ruled a corporate empire. He had no use for
the trappings of wordly power; his clout came from the urgency
of his message and his unwavering moral courage."
Thank you. |
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