Remembering Tony Urbaniak on World AIDS Day

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I was watching the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day spectacle when I was surprised to see the Keith Haring balloon.  Haring was one of the 80′s up-and-coming New York artists.  He died of AIDS-related complications at the age of 31 on February 16, 1990.

It is a wish fulfilled for Haring, who always dreamed of having his work in the traditional New York holiday event.

Barcelona Flowers

I remembered an artist friend, Tony Urbaniak who had gone to San Francisco to “experience it all.” A free spirit who loved life, I am honored to have one of his works “Barcelona Flowers,” in my office.

“How’s it goin’?” I had asked.
“It’s fucked, that’s how it is,” he said bitterly.
“I just thought I’d call and see if there was anything I could do.”
“Something you could do?” he said sarcastically, “No, there’s nothing anyone can do. I’m going to die like my lover did last month. I don’t have time for this” and with that he hung up.

I had felt powerless in the face of his anger that I was still alive and he was about to die.

Tony had a beautiful tenor voice.  One of his favorite songs to sing on stage was Sondheim’s I Remember (you can hear Judy Butterfield sing the full version on YouTube)

Today December 1st is World Aids Day.  If you know someone who has died from this disease, serve their memory and tell even a snippet of your memory of them with a co-worker, family member or friend. Much like breast cancer, AIDS awareness has come a long way, but it has a long way to go.