Dr. Terence Gayle, A Pioneer In The Treatment Of People With Aids

Years ago, Terry Gayle was among the first in Seattle to help gay men suffering from AIDS.

As a psychiatrist, he combined his professional skills with humanity and friendship to help patients cope with the disease and the approach of death. He also taught other physicians to treat people with AIDS.

Dr. Terence C. Gayle, 39, a gay man himself, died Jan. 11 of AIDS. He had been ill two years.

"I watched his development as a teacher," said Dr. Soo Borson, a teacher and associate of Dr. Gayle at the University of Washington. "He started from a scholarly base; he was very thorough in his research.

"And then he moved to the integration of the personal, the professional, the scientific and the spiritual in teaching people about AIDS. I think he is still unique in the world."

Dr. Gayle, a native of Louisiana, came to the University of Washington in 1981 after receiving undergraduate degrees from Antioch College and the University of Edinburgh and a medical degree from Tulane University in New Orleans.

He completed his internship and residency in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the UW. He was chief resident in 1985-1986 and a fellow in geriatric psychiatry.

It was his interest in geriatric psychiatry that led him to work with AIDS patients. Patients in both groups must deal with serious illness and the likelihood of death.

A member of the Founders Club of the Northwest AIDS Foundation, Dr. Gayle also was instrumental in establishing HIV testing and counseling at the Seattle Gay Clinic and in developing psychiatric services for gays at the Madison Clinic at Harborview Medical Center.

Dr. Gayle was a consultant to a federally funded AIDS training program at the UW from its inception and he made a highly praised training video on the neuro-psychiatric aspect of AIDS.

Borson said he gave many physicians courage to treat AIDS patients.

"It takes a lot of guts to be in there when it hurts," she said. "He had the courage to stick with it, wherever it took him. He didn't shrink from responsibilities."

"He was a wonderful human being," said Judith Gordon, a psychologist and associate of Dr. Gayle when he was treating patients for behavioral problems that put them at risk of illness.

"He was only 33 then but he immediately impressed me as incredibly wise, as a very thoughtful person," Gordon said. "He was a terribly compassionate person who cared about people."

Gordon said Dr. Gayle was respectful of patients, treating them like colleagues. "The clients I sent to him loved him. They felt very safe with him," she said.

Allan Gerston, a professional associate and a friend, said Dr. Gayle brought a sense of "interested serenity" to his relationships with people.

"Anyone willing to meet him halfway would have been touched and affected and would have to reconsider their feelings about gay people," he added.

Dr. Gayle was born and raised as a Catholic in Louisiana. He eventually became a Buddhist, and Buddhist teachings influenced his behavior as a physician and as a human.

"It helped make his life meaningful," said Stephen Phillips, Dr. Gayle's partner for 15 years. "It meant being kind to others, being unafraid to die. It made his path more clear."

Dr. Gayle enjoyed music. He read widely and had a passion for travel.

He hiked, canoed and camped throughout the region. His ashes were scattered in his favorite place - atop Mount Constitution on Orcas Island.

Surviving are his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Gayle of Lafayette, La., and two brothers, Sean and Kevin. Memorial services were held here and in Louisiana.

Friends suggested remembrances to the Dharma Friendship Foundation in Castle Rock, the Chicken Soup Brigade, Bailey-Boushay House or the Northwest Aids Foundation.