May 26, 1951 – May 8, 2007
Ann Arbor resident and Detroit native Keary Sullivan Campbell studied biology at the University of Michigan and worked as a scientific photographer for the UM Dental School. As a freelancer, he photographed pride marches and the NAMES Project quilt and his images also appeared in the pages of Between The Lines during its early years of publication. Keary was survived by his partner Tim Huth.
Ann Arbor News, May 13, 2007
July 15, 1930 – June 21, 1993
Stanley Raymond Jankiewicz, better known in Detroit’s gay bar world as Don Cherry, graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1949 and attended Wayne State University. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and later managed four city golf courses until retiring in 1987. For 27 years he tended bar at such establishments as the Woodward Lounge, the Gas Station, and Menjo’s.
May 3, 1948 – November 5, 2019
Grosse Pointe Park resident Stuart George Itzkowitz moved Detroit in 1974 after earning his Masters at the University of Michigan. He became active with the Wayne State University GLF, was a founder of MOHR, and served on the board of Wellness Networks. He went on to get his Ph.D. from Wayne State, where he later taught. Itzkowitz was preceded in death by his husband and partner of 38 years Larry Zimmerman.
May 28, 1969 – June 23, 1990
Diane Kotila was born in Southfield and graduated with the class of 1987 from Kimball High School in Royal Oak. She was a student at Oakland University and was employed by William Beaumont Hospital. After losing her life in an automobile accident, friends held a benefit at the Railroad Crossing for a fund in her name at Affirmations to help provide lesbian and gay youth with counseling and support.
Royal Oak Daily Tribune, June 24, 1990
November 18, 1955 – May 18, 2018
Detroit native Margaret Irene “Peggy” McNichol graduated from Mercy High School in Farmington Hills in 1973 and earned her B.S. in nursing from the University of Michigan in 1977. Following graduation, she relocated to the West Coast and lived in Seattle, Oakland, and Portland. McNichol went to medical for her M.D. and became a family care physician. She was survived by her wife Sue Sell.
January 9, 1962 – November 7, 1995
Actor, director, playwright, and Grand Rapids native Michael Gerard Barto of Chicago earned his B.A. in theater at the University of Michigan-Flint. In 1987, while pursuing his M.F.A. at the University of Iowa, Barto directed and co-wrote The Wizard of AIDS, which was performed more than 700 times over seven years throughout the Midwest. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 33.
February 20, 1941 – May 19, 1993
Flint native and Swartz Creek resident John Rex Brooks was a graduate of Michigan State University with a B.A. and M.A. specializing in counseling and psychology. He was a teacher and counselor at Longfellow Junior High, later Longfellow Middle School, for 29 years, and was long active in the Flint teacher’s union. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 52.
Flint Journal, May 20, 1993
January 25, 1951 – November 19, 1994
Flint native Mark Douglas Chittle graduated from St. John Vianney High School and served a year in the Army in the early 1970s. He lived for a time in Key West, Florida and for much of his life Chittle worked as an accountant in San Francisco. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 43.
July 6, 1950 – May 1, 1995
John Barry Ferman attended Davison High School and worked as a go-go dancer in Detroit gay bars during the 1970s. While pursuing a degree in psychology, he founded the first gay student organization at the University of Michigan-Flint. A longtime Flint resident, Ferman spent his last years in Key West, Florida. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 44.
Flint Journal, May 4, 1995
October 18, 1963 – March 17, 1996
Born in Flint, Brian Keith McDonald spent most of his life in Otisville. He majored in theater at the University of Michigan-Flint and worked for 13 years for the Flint Youth Theater. McDonald was also employed by the local VGs grocery chain. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 32.
Flint Journal, March 18, 1996
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 