(Image: left, Terry Tebedo, right, Bill Nelson.)

Partners in life, love and activism, Bill Nelson and Terry Tebedo were among the co-founders of what was then known as the AIDS Resource Center in 1985. Dallas' first community-based HIV/AIDS research facility was named after them in May, 1989.

Nelson served as president of what was known as the Dallas Gay Alliance from 1984 to 1987. He was the first openly gay candidate for a Dallas City Council seat in 1985 and 1987. In that second race, Nelson received more than 23,000 votes in a city-wide election.

For ten years, Nelson was an English teacher and wrestling coach at his alma mater, W.T. White High School. In 1979, when DISD officials tried to put a letter of reprimand in his personnel file for his involvement in a gay group, he successfully fought the effort. He also was a director of the Dallas Homeowners League and former president of the Vickery Place Neighborhood Association.

While Nelson had a more visible role, Tebedo worked behind the scenes on fundraising and special events for the community. They were among the original owners and founders of Crossroads Market in 1981, which served as an incubator for a variety of gay rights and HIV/AIDS advocacy organizations, including Resource Center Dallas.

Tebedo was one of the organizing forces behind the summertime fundraising celebration known as Razzle Dazzle Dallas, which started in 1978 and ended in 2003. During its existence, Razzle Dazzle Dallas raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for a variety of GLBT groups.

In 1983, Tebedo helped to put together some of the first conferences in Dallas to deal with a mysterious disease that seemed to be targeting the gay community. He also set up a financial assistance fund to be used for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Nelson and Tebedo were a couple for ten years, until Tebedo’s death in 1988. Nelson died two years later.