I am a university Professor of Anthropology and Archaeology with interests in historical cemeteries and family history. 

A current focus is providing a Voice to the lost generation of young men who were victims of early HIV infection and AIDS in the 1980s and 1990s prior to effective treatments. Web platforms like "Find A Grave" and "Family Search" provide a place to expand biographical information about individuals and to reunite them with their families across generations. 

A range of AIDS Memorials like the National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco, the Toronto AIDS Memorial at Barbara Hall Park, and various Quilts provide extensive records of those who were lost to the early pandemic. 

Names and basic chronology associated with these memorials are supplemented by obituaries, census records, birth and death certificates, locations of final resting places, grave memorials, photos, historical documents, and other records to create biographies for each individual. Photos and other historical documents are invaluable forms of material culture that facilitate the association of faces and personalities with the names.

The primary goal is to establish historical representations for the numerous early victims of this devastating pandemic. 

Sadly, the process has reinforced the enormity of the losses and is very emotional at times. However, it is also a rewarding and cathartic experience.