NAPWA board member dies

Roger A. Gooden, an openly gay man who served on the board of the National Association of People With AIDS for nine years, including a term as president, and previously chaired the Kansas City Ryan White HIV/AIDS Planning Council, died July 28 at his home in Kansas City, Mo. He was 57. "Roger worked tirelessly to fight discrimination against people living with HIV," said NAPWA executive director Terje Anderson in a press statement. "He stood up in front of crowds of people to talk about life with HIV, and that made a tremendous difference. Roger Gooden was one of the good guys. He touched a lot of us, and I was proud to know him. He will be missed." Gooden had a long career in education, serving as a public school teacher, developing curricula, and becoming a union leader. He was a gay political activist and a proponent for services to help people to recover from drug and alcohol dependencies. Gooden also previously served as president of the Kansas City Pride Democratic Club. He is survived by his mother, two sisters, and numerous other family members. A memorial service was scheduled for August 5 at the Community Christian Church in Kansas City.