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Eugene Francis (1962- 1993)

Eugene "Ken" Francis was born April 30, 1962 (of Michigan) and died November 10, 1993 in Oakland, California. He was a member of Affirmation.

Tribute by Ben Williams

I met Ken Francis for the first time at a Wasatch Affirmation meeting in 1986. He had been at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City where he had met some Affirmation members who convinced him to come to a meeting that evening. So he did and was introduced as "Ken" when in fact that was his "anonymous" name that people used in the day when people were reluctant to give their real names upon meeting other Gays. But the name stuck and he was always Ken--even though it was never part of his real name which was Eugene Francis.

He was a Michigan native and a returned missionary who was always so bubbly and vivacious. He also had another nickname that almost all who were his close friends called him and that was "Sugar Tush" because he was so sweet. He won a few Mr. Gay Poster Boy contests at some Salt Lake City bars in the 1980s and worked as a teller in several local banks until he moved away to San Francisco in 1988.

He was active in both Wasatch Affirmation and Unconditional Support where he served as an officer. Ken's smile was infectious and he had a very warm and loving heart. It's been 20 years since I last saw Ken Francis and was heart broken to hear of his passing from the AIDS epidemic. I miss the twinkle in his eye. He was a good soul.

Please add your own tribute by sending an email to James Kent.