Arthur Whitehead

At Explode The Rose, 1987

Arthur Leonard Whitehead
18 Aug 1956 - 04 Dec 1989

Clubs & Associations

Remembrances

I want to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to all the club members who have given me their support and sympathy in the loss of my loved one. For those who did not know him or us as a couple, Arthur Whitehead and I started square dancing in October 1986, which is how we met. We were both avid dancers from basic through plus and square danced regularly on the pier during our first summer with the club. Arthur died on December 4, 1989 at the age of 33. Although our relationship was too brief, we were fortunate to have one another and to enjoy a mutual abiding love. Arthur was a beautiful person. I miss him. We miss him.
— Tony DeFrance^[1]

A Tribute to Arthur Whitehead
The above AIDS Quilt panel was made by Tony De France in memory of his lover, Arthur Whitehead, a fellow Times Squarer. It was recently displayed in Washington DC in October. A few Times Squares were present.
In making the panel, Tony tried to capture the many facets of Arthur’s personality which are as follows:
Theatre masks – Arthur was active in his native Jacksonville, Florida in many theatre activities, and appeared in such shows as Fiddler on the Roof, Oliver, The Ritz, Peter Pan, Guys and Dolls, just to mention a few.
Unicycle – which he rode
Cello – which he played
Roller skates – which he loved doing
Pumpkin – for Halloween, his favorite holiday
Roller coaster – he loved amusement parks
Music notes – he sang, and was a member of the Gay Men’s chorus in Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York.
Magician – his hobby. He was looking forward to doing his act at our annual Talent Show before he passed away.
Times Squares Logo – where he had spent many happy hours since 1986, and where he met Tony.

The panel is orange, his favorite color, with dark blue lettering. The 1-4-3 was his code to Tony for “I LOVE YOU” when it was possible to say it out loud. Tony used his marvelous talent for his beloved, Arthur.^[2]