John Washburn made a difference
I met John Washburn around 1981 at a party. He walked up to me and introduced himself. I was taken immediately by his charm and confidence.
Dr. Bill Valenti, left, and John Washburn. Provided by Dr. Bill Valenti
He had a magnetic personality, and that confidence could be intimidating to some. He and I had this little fling for a while, but we always remained friends.
In 1986, five years after we met, he was hospitalized in Genesee Hospital and his doctor was my infectious diseases mentor, Dr. Larry Chessin. We consulted on John’s case and agreed that he needed HIV testing. But this was at least a year before the HIV test became widely available.
So Larry, as the mentor, directed me “to call Fauci at NIH.” Tony Fauci had arrived at the National Institutes of Health in 1984, and Larry knew him because he’d spent some time there. So I learned early in the epidemic from Larry how to use your contacts to get things done.
It took two weeks for the results to come back. It was positive.
As John dealt with his illness, part of it was being public about it. He went public in around 1988, with an interview in the newspaper. John was the first public person in Rochester to reveal their HIV status. It really was a turning point in the epidemic locally.
Ever the educator, John Washburn went public about his diagnosis to teach people about HIV and AIDS. Courtesy Democrat and Chronicle (top) and Democrat and Chronicle and WHEC-TV.
Eventually, John retired. But ever the consummate educator, he went out and spoke to education groups about giving kids age-appropriate information about AIDS and HIV prevention. He called his talk No More Broken Hearts. It was very moving. It also was controversial at the time, but he persisted and made significant inroads.
John Washburn in Sante Fe with guests at his 50th birthday party. Provided by Dr. Bill Valenti
John moved to Santa Fe and died there in June 1989, six months after his 50th birthday and a party where people came from all over to celebrate this milestone.
John did another thing during those days when he was dealing with his diagnosis – he established a foundation at the Rochester Area Community Foundation for AIDS education. When he died, his family gave the proceeds to Community Health Network, which John didn’t live to see.
Provided by Dr. Bill Valenti
We established the John Washburn Library in his memory, giving physical space to a number of programs and continuing John’s legacy of education.
So there are a lot of connections here, a lot of community participations in the effort, and a person who needs to be recognized as someone who made a difference.