Edwards, Theodore Clayton "Ted" Obituary

Edwards, Theodore Clayton "Ted" attended Corvallis High School in Corvallis, OR. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Edwards, Theodore Clayton "ted".

Graduation Year	Class of 1962
Date of Passing	Dec 05, 1990
About	Born May 4, 1944 From a letter received by L.Shafer from Ted's partner, Dick Campbell dated December 24, 1991 Dear Members of CHS 62: It is with sadness that I must inform you of the death of one of your classmates, Theodore Clayton Edwards. Ted passed away on December 5, 1990 as the result of lymphoma, and other complications resulting from the HIV virus. He died peacefully at his home in rural Lane County with the presence of his parents, and partners of seventeen & twenty-seven years. I first met Ted in March of 1963, less than a year after his graduation from CHS at the beginning of spring term at the University of Oregon in Eugene. We were friends, who after Ted's return from a Forest Service lookout in Montana on Labor Day weekend '64, agreed to become partners. In those 28 years, I have met but a few of the Class of '62, but have heard stories of many more. Ted met the challenge of a sudden positive HIV test and full-blown AIDS diagnosis simultaneously in June 1989. He had barely been able to work the previous month. We were fortunate that our family physician and his wife were personal friends. Our acquaintances in urban settings, as well as information from Project Inform in San Francisco, advised us that the care he received here, and the response of the medical community, was as good as, if not better, than he would have received in a "well-staffed" urban AIDS community such as San Francisco. Our physician's nurse even donated the first two units of blood. During the course of his illness, he required over 45 units. Pioneer that he was, Ted was the third person in Oregon to be placed on an EPO (eretheropoetin) study from Portland's Good Sam Hospital, and was the first person to leave Eugene's Sacred Heart Hospital with a Landmark arm catheter. For a person who was so upfront about his sexuality, and our relationship (Ted was a member of the first panel of persons who discussed sexual orientation at the UofO, OSU, and even Joy Pielstick's class at Crescent Valley HS), Ted was very private regarding his status of health. As a result, you are among many who were not even aware of his illness. We do understand your surprise and shock. Behind Ted's extrovert-ish response to most people and situations, Ted also had his preference and need for privacy. I believe that this need for privacy, coupled with the wish not to worry others, as well as the both delicate and explosive issue of AIDS were factors in his maintaining privacy. It should also be noted that Ted's activity level went from high energy involvement in his work, serving on the board of the Willamette AIDS Council for two years, and participating in our farm and business activities to no activity within a couple of weeks period of time. We had little warning! At the time of his diagnosis, we agreed that all household energy would be directed to maintaining the health and time that remained. Ted had 24 hour care for the following 18 months. In addition to the excellent care from his personal physician and specialists, he was blessed with wonderful hospice nurses for his last month, and with a guardian angel in the form of our third partner who cared for Ted for 18 months. Ted's only consent to public display was a small dessert potluck for family, those who cared for him, and members of his HIV support group from SHANTI in Eugene. At that time, 250 daffodils were planted in his name in Eugene's Skinner Butte Park on December 8, 1990. On December 5, 1991, on the anniversary of his passing, over two bushels of daffocils were planted in memory of Ted Edwards and others as a part of the observation of World AIDS Awareness Week. On December 7th at the conclusion of that week's memorial, 450 carnations, donated by Kathy Commons of the CHS '62, were dropped from the Valley River bicycle bridge in memory of the estimated number of indiviuals in Lane County who carry the HIV virus. I'm certain the carnation in Ted's memory was carried by the waters of the Willamette through Corvallis. You are invited to enjoy daffodils toward the North end of the park in Eugene in the spring, and to plant your own daffodils in memory of your classmate. I request that the contents of this letter be shared with those classmates expressing interest in its contents. I request specifially that if you have addresses for the following, that they be forwarded a copy of this letter: Jeanette Emigh, Cliff Faust, and Bonny Gathercoal. I also request that you discuss openly and frankly such issues as protected sex with your children, and as appropriate with your grandchildren. Please use the opportunity given to us all by Magic Johnson's public request to do the same! Respectfully, Dick Crawford