[Email from Charles Domingues to William Waybourn including a semi-final draft of a press release] Page: 1 of 8
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Subj: Press Release
Date: 98-05-24 18:23:01 EDT
From: domingues@fhu.org (Charles Domingues)
To: waybourn@aol.com
CC: kestes@fhu.org (Karen Estes)
Here is a semifinal draft of the press release. I say semifinal because I still haven't gotten a mjority of the board polled, but
should by tonight or tomorrow. I will let you know when you can release it. I think we should tell John we are going to do this,
but discuss with him whteher it'll be the JDT AIDS Resouce Center or JDT Gay & Lesbian Resource Center. I use the word
Resource Center in both, because the board just voted to change everything to Resource Center, including Nelson-Tebedo
Health Resource Center. We were going to unveil it all this summer. Call me with any questions -- work: 214 521-5342, ext.
113; home:214 559-4519; pager: 972 397-4306. Thanks!
++++Final Draft Press Release+++++++
Contact: Charles Domingues
(214) 528-0144
Foundation Renames Gay & Lesbian Community Center
Former Executive Director John D. Thomas Honored for Role
in making Dallas Center one of nation's leading Community Centers.
DALLAS - May 26, 1998 - The Foundation for Human Understanding today
honored John D. Thomas, an individual who played a vital role in creating
Dallas Gay & Lesbian Community Center, and who also served as its first
executive director. The facility at Reagan & Brown Streets in Oak Lawn will
be renamed the John D. Thomas Gay & Lesbian Resource Center, according to Pam Clayton, president of the Foundation.
The Foundation also operates the AIDS
Resource Center and the Nelson-Tebedo Community Clinic serving Dallas' large
lesbian and gay population and providing services to North Texans affected by the HIV/AIDS.
Members of the board of directors earlier this week notified Thomas, who is
in the final stages of AIDS, of the honor by the organization. "We wanted to
make a strong statement about the significant role John Thomas played, first
as a volunteer and then as a leader in this organization," said Clayton, who
annouced the recognition.
Thomas began as a volunteer for the Dallas Gay & Lesbian Alliance in the late
1970s, then held numerous leadership positions on the boards of directors that
governed first the Alliance, and later its sister organization, the Foundation
for Human Understanding. In 1986, Thomas was hired as the first salaried
executive director in charge of the Foundation, helping it grow from a small
AIDS Food Pantry (still in operation today as the AIDS Resource Center Food
Pantry) to a $3 million multi-service organization, one of the nation's
premier AIDS service organizations and gay and lesbian service providers. Previously, Thomas was vice president of human
resources at the Dallas Times Herald. Thomas retired as executive director of the Foundation in 1996.
Current Executive Director, Charles Domingues, stated "It's been an honor following John as Executive Director and it will be
especially meaningful to work in a facility named for him. Of course, our concerns are with John and his family and friends, but
we wanted to demonstrate in a very meaningful way exactly how much we appreciate what he's done for this community,"
Domingues said. "This Center is a testament to how he overcame adversity, while facing the challenges of a ravaging disease.
Not only has he served as an outstanding role model, but his spirit motivates our work on a daily basis,"
Board President Clayton said. "This is the highest recognition we can bestow on John's professional and personal
Sunday May 24, 1998 America Online: Waybourn Page: 1M- m 0--- M-- m I
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Domingues, Charles. [Email from Charles Domingues to William Waybourn including a semi-final draft of a press release], text, May 24, 1998; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1954812/m1/1/: accessed June 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.