DAVID SUMMERS - AUTOGRAPH NOTE SIGNED 10/24/1973 - HFSID 44239

DAVID SUMMERS

The famous actor and LGBT-AIDS advocate pens a kind letter to a fan, signed in blue ink

Autograph Note Signed: "David Summers" in blue ink. 6¾x10. No place. Dated: October 24, 1973. In full: "Dear Mr. Palmer, Thank you for your kind letter. Enclosed is your requested photograph. I hope you like it. With best wishes, I remain, David Summers." David Paul Summers (1952-1986) was a cabaret singer and actor who was active in the homosexual rights movement and in AIDS education. He was born in Houston, Texas, where he made his first professional appearance at the age of 10 in The Sound of Music, at the Houston Theater Center. David attended Southwest Texas University from 1970 to 1972 and the University of Oklahoma School of Drama from 1972 to 1973. Along with Ken Meeks he co-founded the New York chapter of People with AIDS Coalition and served on the board of the National Association of People with Aids. With his partner, Salvatore J. Licata, he was a spokesman for homosexual rights and the rights of those suffering from AIDS. After Summers was diagnosed with AIDS in 1984, he became a public figure, appearing on national television in an effort to educate others about the disease. David Summers appeared professionally in New York in 1973, in Al Carmines' oratorio "The Faggot". He continued to perform despite his illness and in 1985 presented an evening of songs at Jan Wallman's in Greenwich Village. David Paul Summers died as a result of acquired immune deficiency syndrome at his home in Manhattan. Lightly toned. Otherwise, fine condition.