Steve Whitson, 38, passed away suddenly Jan. 20. Steve, formerly Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Director of Debate at DePaul University, was at the time of his death editor of the nationally acclaimed HIV treatment journal, Positively Aware. Steve is survived by his partner, Phillip Matthews of Chicago, his parents Charles and Martha Whitson, and two brothers, Scott and Sean Whitson, all of Colorado Springs, Colo. A funeral service was held Jan. 25 at AIDSCARE.
Steve joined the staff of Test Positive Aware Network to pursue his passion of learning about HIV treatments and sharing this information. As a person who lived for 15 years with HIV, Steve believed strongly in the need to be informed about the disease and options for treatment. As editor of Positively Aware, Steve continued the publication's excellence, bringing timely treatment information to thousands of readers across the country, in easy-to-understand language. At the same time, Steve increased the size of the bi-monthly and the diversity of writers.
Prior to joining TPAN, Steve was at DePaul for eight years. In addition to being a respected instructor, he was Director of Debate, helping build a nationally recognized program.
To honors Steve's commitment to battling HIV, both in his personal life and for others, his partner Phillip asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to TPA Network, 1258 W. Belmont, Chicago, Il 60657.
"Obviously, we are all shocked and deeply saddened by Steve's death," said Dennis Hartke, TPAN's executive director. "Steve was an important member of our staff, and as editor of Positively Aware, was an important national figure. While TPAN and the readers of Positively Aware will miss Steve, our thoughts right now are with his partner Phillip, and Steve's parents and brothers. Their loss is far greater than ours."
