‘Part of the Healing Process’ : AIDS Quilt Helps Thousands Remember

They came by the thousands Saturday to the AIDS Memorial Quilt at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion to bid farewell and celebrate the lives of friends, lovers, relatives and strangers killed by the disease.

“This is part of the healing process for our family,” said Connie Searcy of Redondo Beach as she pointed out the 3-by-6-foot panel she and her husband created to honor the memory of her son, Steve Holzman, who died last year at the age of 26.

“We put the Eiffel Tower on it--Steve loved Paris, and we scattered his ashes in the Seine,” his mother said. “It was painful creating the quilt . . . but here we can let go of our sorrow and our anger. Now, we can put our boy to rest.”

3,488 Fabric Panels

The quilt is made up of 3,488 colorful panels created by victims’ friends, lovers and relatives.

Visitors walked with reverence through a sports arena that seemed transformed into a cathedral of remembrance. Some seemed lost in private thoughts as they pondered the lives of lost loved ones or tried to imagine the lives of strangers depicted in the panels.

Here, a collage of get-well cards sent to a teacher by his first-grade class. There, a panel with a kite and a set of toy trains for a 5-year-old boy named Zack. Friends and strangers hugged one another and wept.

“Every panel tells a story,” said Dan Sauro, one of 400 volunteers helping to mount the exhibition. “I am here because too many of my friends have died.”

No exact figures were available on Saturday’s attendance, although organizers said there were about 700 visitors an hour.

Many were unprepared for the quilt’s emotional impact.

“This is something everybody in America should see,” said Suzanne Brown of Los Angeles, wiping a tear from her eye with a tissue supplied by a volunteer. “These people should never be forgotten.”

Many of the quilt’s panels incorporate articles of clothing or silk-screened photographs. Many panels cry out to the dead: “I love you.” “Until we meet again.”

‘Great Catharsis’

Visitors had a chance to add their own comments on a fresh section of white canvas that will be incorporated into the quilt. Some left flowers, particularly on a glittery quilt honoring Rock Hudson.

“This is a great catharsis after seven years of epidemic and loss,” said Andrew Moss of Los Angeles. “The only way things are going to change is to make people aware of the magnitude of the loss and the individuality of each person who has died.

The quilt will be on display again today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. before moving on to San Diego as part of its 20-city nationwide tour. Admission is free.