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Over the years, many
people have made great contributions to the
work of the HIV Center. On our 20th
anniversary, we remember five particularly
important individuals who have passed away. As
part of the HIV Center's move to our new
offices in 2006, a conference room or interview
room has been named for, and dedicated to the
memory of, each of these five men. The
photos below have been placed in each respective
room along with a plague bearing their names.
 Rafael Tavares
First Director of the Community Core (d.
1988)
"At a time when there
was much confusion, discrimination and stigma
of people with AIDS, Rafael secured a grant to
start an HIV Mental Health Clinic at
Presbyterian Hospital, hired me as its first
Director, negotiated my parallel involvement in
a research project at the HIV Center, and in a
single stroke changed the direction of my
career. He was an outspoken, fearless advocate
on behalf of minority communities. He blazed
the trail."-- Alex Carballo-Diéguez
 Joseph O'Reilly
Administrative Assistant to the Director of
Program Planning (d. 1994)
"Joseph was
passionately dedicated to the HIV Center. His
sense of initiative, responsibility, and
efficiency were exemplary, but always tempered
by grace and humor. In addition, he was truly
a fighter -- taking charge of his own health
care and his own life, always pushing the
envelope and challenging each of us to do the
same. -- Pat Warne
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 Charlie Armstrong
Executive
Assistant to
the Center
Director
(d.
1995)
"Charlie was
vital,
competent, and
creative -- an
incredible
person. He was
at the heart of
the HIV Center's
operations,
always positive,
hardworking, and
totally devoted.
Even when the
going was rough,
he could always
make people
laugh. Charlie
was also a very
talented painter
who died too
young -- had he
lived, he would
be a well-known
artist today." –
Anke A.
Ehrhardt
Jacob Cohen
Member of
the Statistics,
Epidemiology,
and Data
Management (SED)
Core (d. 1998)
"Jack was
not only a
world-famous
psychologist,
but someone who
was very open
and liked
discussion.
With Jack's
encouragement,
biostatisticians,
epidemiologists,
and
psychologists
would all take
up an issue and
really chew it
over – it was
very
enlightening. Jack created a
‘culture of
conversation'
at the HIV
Center." --
Zena Stein
 Steve Papp
NYSPI
Deputy Director
of
Administration
(d. 2003)
"Steve had a
tremendous gift
for bringing
people
together. He
played a great
role in helping
to establish
the HIV Center
by linking us
up with just
the right
people at just
the right time
throughout this
big
institution. No matter what
happened, Steve
kept his cool
and saved the
day." --
Barbara Muller
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