Three cheers for the late Don Maison, an early leader in the battle to provide help and respect for people with AIDS in Dallas.
This week, Dallas City Council unanimously approved street toppers honoring Don Maison, the longtime gay rights activist and Dallas lawyer who died in February. Maison was the longest-serving president and CEO of, which provides affordable housing and services for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.
When Maison joined in 1989, the organization wasn’t in the best condition. It had seen a few iterations in the decade before it began operating under its current name. Two other men who knew Gray, Michael Merdian and Darryl Moore, would go on to form the PWA Coalition of Dallas, which was dedicated to creating projects maintained by and for people with AIDS. It would later be called AIDS Services of Dallas. In 1987, the group began focusing on housing for people who had lost their homes because of illness or discrimination.That year, Merdian and Moore purchased an apartment building in North Oak Cliff to house people with AIDS.
There were about 90 candidates for the position, and Maison didn’t think he had a chance of getting it. He didn’t have any experience in running a nonprofit. One friend told him it was “the dumbest career move” he could make. But, he applied anyway and got the position in 1989, the same year the organization began operating under its current name.The Dallas Morning News
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