"It's just hard to find out such bad news about people you used to be closed to."

Thursday, Sept. 12, 1991

     Day before yesterday I got a letter from Nancy. She said the Paul Nance had died of AIDS and a brain tumor and that he was gay. He was only two years behind us in high school, when Beedeville H.S. was with McCrory. He & Stephanie Smith & Joyce free were in Mr. Turney's world history class with Nancy & Susan Hancock & me & maybe some others. They were all members of the church in Beedeville. I remember hearing rumors after high school that he was gay but I didn't want to believe them. He & Stephanie went together for a long time but she said he hardly ever kissed her or did anything more than hold her hand. He wrote to me while I was at Harding & he was still in high school. I think he went to ASU in Jonesboro after graduation. I don't remember if he wrote me any more after that. I just remember we gradually lost touch. His sister, Donna, was in my class. She told me at our 10-yr. reunion that he was living in California. I don't know if she said San Francisco but I remember hearing that somewhere - I think. It's been so long I'm not sure. I just remember that we were pretty good friends for awhile. I did have a minor crush on him for a short time. We went to a movie in Newport once. The Gumball Rally. He went to a concert at Harding with me once - I don't remember who. He used to stop by the house just to visit sometimes during the summer. And we'd see him and the others at church when Nancy & I would go there on Sunday nights sometimes. It's just hard to find out such bad news about people you used to be closed to. I just hope he had the time to and did repent before he died.