LI 'AIDS Ambassador' Dale Edmonston dies

Long Island's "AIDS Ambassador," Dale Anthony Edmonston, died New Year's Day from Kaposi's sarcoma, an AIDS-related form of cancer, at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset. He was 48 and lived in Rockville Centre.

Edmonston, who had personally fought the disease for 27 years, also battled it on behalf of others carrying the devastating stigma and loneliness of living with HIV/AIDS.

He had advised Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush on the challenges of the disease and had worked with international leaders and national, state and local politicians, as well as celebrities and grassroots activists to prevent the virus from spreading and help those with it.

"Dale personally created safe houses and food pantries for those with HIV/AIDS, making sure individuals, especially children, had shelter, food and Christmas gifts," said his sister, Cherie Edmonston-Hardwick, the wife of Freeport Mayor Andrew Hardwick.

"Dale worked hard to help people right here in Hempstead, and I tried to help him whenever I could," said Perry Pettus, a trustee in the Village of Hempstead, where Edmonston opened an HIV/AIDS community resource center in 2000 that closed a couple of years ago for lack of funding.

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano said Edmonston's "hard work and dedication to better the lives of those living with AIDS is a true testament to Dale's character."

Edmonston released a self-published autobiography in 2008 titled "A Look Through My Eyes: An Extraordinary and Painful Journey Living With AIDS." In it, he revealed a suicide attempt that left him in a coma for seven days.

In 1994 he launched a radio show, "Tough Talk Media: Sounding the Trumpet About HIV/AIDS." He also had a "Tough Talk" TV program, the last show of which is set to air at 10 a.m. Thursday on Cablevision Channel 115.

In 2005, Edmonston, a Republican, lost a bid to oust Kevan Abrahams (D-Freeport) from the county legislature. He said he was running because, among other things, the then-Democratic majority was "unresponsive to local people with AIDS."

Besides his sister, survivors include his mother, Delores Edmonston of Rockville Centre; and a brother, the Rev. Kent Michael Edmonston of Oyster Bay.

A wake is planned from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Zion Cathedral Church of God In Christ in Freeport. A service will immediately follow. Burial will be at 9 a.m. Monday at Greenfield Cemetery in Uniondale.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to the Dr. Dale Anthony Edmonston Memorial Fund, 27 Adams St., Oyster Bay, NY 11771.