The gladiolus was Scott Smith’s favorite flower. Ric McDonough planned to put some in the garden of the northwest-side home he bought with Smith when the two decided to settle down after dating for 12 years. That was seven years ago. Though Smith was HIV positive, McDonough, who is not, envisioned a long life with his partner. On the day of their big move, Smith dragged out two large lawn chairs and placed them under a tree in their new backyard–a sign that he was ready to sit back, relax, and take whatever curves life threw at them. Seventeen days later he was dead.
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“He was a real trouper,” says McDonough. “I really had no idea; it happened so quickly. One day he couldn’t get up the stairs–that was when I began to realize that he was having pain that he couldn’t handle.”
Initial plans include contemplative and wildflower gardens, a children’s area, and a plaza. “What San Francisco has that we’d love to consider are dedications,” says McDonough. “One of the concerns is that it can be very exclusionary, and I don’t want anyone to feel that only if you have money can you be remembered there.” ALRP also wants to include an area to display the AIDS quilt. “Both projects want to bring to the forefront that AIDS is still with us,” says Modesto Tico Valle, executive director of NAMES Project Chicago.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Robert Drea.
