Windy City Times, The Voice of Chicago's Gay and Lesbian Community Oct. 3, 2001 Copyright © 2001 Lambda Publications Inc. All rights reserved.

LARRY DUCKETT  by Sanford E. Gaylord In the early hours before dawn, Sept. 27, the life of Lawrence "Larry" Duckett ended. The fire that claimed his life was reportedly started from smoking in bed. Duckett, 48, waged a long battle with Multiple Sclerosis...he was diagnosed 10 years ago, his sister Rose Nixon said. "Write it out or talk it out and you can go on with life," that's what he was probably doing, writing, before this incident happened. Larry mentioned writing or talking to me several years ago, when I had a chance to see my big brotha in the life. Larry Duckett was a native of Washington, D.C., and earned a B.A. in Music from Virginia State University. He has had a long contribution the African American LGBT community as a writer, musician, and actor. Many of his poems and commentary pieces have appeared in numerous publications, including Lambda Publications' BLACKlines. He worked at and volunteered in many different capacities at several community-based organizations over the years, including the Washington, D.C. Care Consortium, an AIDS service organization In the early 1980s Larry auditioned for a show that poet, writer, and performance artist Essex Hemphill was putting together with lesbian filmmaker Michelle Parkerson. He didn't get the role for the show but did work with Hemphill on another project called the Brass Rail and thereafter had a 10-year union that was as close as you can get without being physically intimate. He often described it as "10 years beside Hemphill as artist, confidant, and brotha." You may recall him on the cover of the 1992 book release by Hemphill titled Ceremonies. The original cover featured Essex and Larry embracing one another, showing love, the way two men of African decent can do so passionately. Essex died of AIDS in 1995. Now our community feels the loss of another eloquent, strong and poignant voice that spoke for the African American LGBT community. Larry Duckett has left a rich legacy of his work. He has performed as an actor and musician at The Painted Bride Arts Center in Philadelphia, The Kitchen in New York City, The Kennedy Center and the National Theatre. As an accompanist he played for many singers at clubs like Blues Alley. Larry joined Hemphill in the NPR broadcast of "First and Last Words," hosted by Sonia Sanchez. His collaborations with filmmaker Marlon Riggs can be seen in performances in the groundbreaking films Tongues Untied that aired on PBS, as well as in Riggs' film Black Is, Black Ain't. In Chicago, Duckett and Hemphill had readings and performances at People Like Us Books and The Randolph Street Gallery. In 1998 A Real Read, Chicago's African American LGBT Performance Ensemble, presented the Midwest premier of We Heard The Night Outside at the Bailiwick Arts Center, the story of Duckett and Hemphill...two years after the death of Hemphill. Byron Stewart played the character of Paradise based on Hemphill; C.C. Carter portrayed MC and I portrayed Perez based on Duckett. Larry Duckett was working on a book, which detailed his life before and after the untimely death of Essex Hemphill. It was to be called The Unknown Road to Paradise. Larry's family held a service that celebrated his life Oct. 1. There have been plans made for an additional Memorial Service that friends, love ones and colleagues from the LGBT community. Details will be available soon. "The gift of creativity, the gift of being Black, the gift of an alternative lifestyle, is opportunities I celebrate in my work. I want people to bear witness to another pain, another love, a different light that will, hopefully, encourage a mediation, an awareness that the intangible things build and support the bridges between us," Larry Duckett once said. The following poem was printed in the December 1998 issue of BLACKlines. I'd like to remember this poem as I remember Larry Duckett. Harris, Wood, Hemphill and Riggs   Poets, gatekeepers, warriors, You open your heart. Expose the soul, Truth is borne, Love endured   Tour insight, Spotlight, On a shadow.   You shine, Refuse the dark, And write, Like Aretha sings.   Our fear subsides, Your burden at ease.

HERB KING   Herb King, a pioneering World War II veteran best known for formulating 'K' Rations, passed away as a result of a heart attack Sept. 24. A tireless advocate for lifting the nation's ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service personnel, King was a member of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), the Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Veterans of America (GLBVA) and a two-time delegate to the Democratic National Convention. During his time in the Army, King achieved the rank of Major and Battalion Commander. After retiring from the Army, he became an industrial engineer, and worked for more than 20 years in the civilian sector. "Our nation's servicemembers have lost a true friend and a genuine hero," said C. Dixon Osburn, Executive Director SLDN. "Herb's service to our country, and his dedication to speaking up for those silenced by federally sanctioned discrimination, made him an irreplaceable advocate for our community. He will be deeply missed." In 1993, in conjunction with the National March on Washington, King participated in a cross-country bus tour, with three other lesbian and gay veterans, advocating for repeal of the Pentagon's anti-gay policies. He also wrote regularly for a number of LGBT publications. King is survived by his partner, Stan Mahan, also a World War II veteran.

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