Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Chicago Tribune - March 30, 2007
Trevor Jensen, Tribune staff reporter, ttjensen@tribune.com
Ms. Halko, 73, died Thursday, March 22, of heart failure in her home on Chicago's Northwest Side, said her partner, Patricia Keenan.
As AIDS grew to crisis proportions in the gay community during the 1980s, Ms. Halko and about eight others decided there was a need for a place where victims, who were often rejected by family and even lovers, could live their final days.
The first Chicago House opened in 1985 in the Edgewater/Uptown area and had seven bedrooms. It was painted and decorated with donated furniture by Ms. Halko and other volunteers. Money was raised through "tag days" at gay bars and other grass-roots efforts.
"She was there day after day. She kept on top of construction, made sure they were doing things right," Keenan said.
Chicago House now provides housing for about 100 people with HIV/AIDS and their families, and maintains an annual budget of more than $3 million, said Michael Herman, director of development.
Ms. Halko had been active in human and gay rights causes since the 1960s. In 1975, she joined Dignity/Chicago, a group for gay Roman Catholics. A few years later, she was the group's first lesbian president.
Ms. Halko was a devout Catholic who later in life brought Communion to nursing homes and always had a rosary in her hand when she was in bed sick. But she struggled with the church over its social policies toward gays, sometimes leaving it, but always coming back, said Jack Delaney, a friend and former president of Dignity/Chicago.
"She used to get angry about things the Vatican would say or a cardinal would say, and she'd quit for a while, but then she'd cool down and come back," Delaney said.
In 1988, Ms. Halko was Gay Chicago magazine's "Woman of the Year," and in 1996 she was named to Chicago's Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame
Ms. Halko grew up in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood in a two flat her parents shared with her aunt and uncle, along with cousins she came to consider siblings. She attended Visitation High School before getting a bachelor's degree at Mundelein College, eventually receiving a doctorate in physics in the early '60s from the University of Rochester, Keenan said.
At Michael Reese Hospital for 10 years and Cook County Hospital for another 20, she worked with radiation treatments. She retired in 1993.
In 1982, mostly to help a friend who was having financial troubles, she became owner of Piggens Pub on Diversey Parkway, a gay and lesbian nightspot. Though not a drinker, Ms. Halko loved to socialize and seemed to know everybody who came into the bar, friends said.
Besides her partner, Ms. Halko leaves no immediate survivors.
Services have been held.
070330
CT070305
Copyright © 2007 - Chicago Tribune. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Chicago Tribune, Permissions Desk, 435 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 http://www.chicagotribune.com
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2007. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2007. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .