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Michael Seltzer, Who Raised Millions to Fight AIDS, Dies at 78
Michael Seltzer, Who Raised Millions to Fight AIDS, Dies at 78
In the 1980s, when government lagged in its response to the disease, he solicited private support for prevention and treatment.
Michael Seltzer this year. His experience with a friend dying of AIDS inspired him to raise money to combat the disease. Richard Louissaint, via Leadership Fellows at the Trust
By Sam Roberts
Sept. 8, 2025
Michael Seltzer, whose bedside vigil for a friend who was dying of AIDS transformed him into a prodigious fund-raiser who rallied individuals, foundations and corporations to support the prevention and treatment of the disease in the 1980s, when it was largely neglected at all levels of government, died on July 31 at his summer home on Governor Island, near Branford, Conn. He was 78.
His husband, Ralph Tachuk, said the cause was cardiac arrest. His death was not widely reported at the time.
“Michael’s pursuit of a world without AIDS was personal,” Kevin Jennings, the chief executive of the civil rights advocacy group Lambda Legal, said in an interview. “After witnessing a friend’s battle with AIDS in the 1980s, he felt a profound responsibility to act. ”
Mysterious at first, and with no proven treatment, AIDS was met largely with fear, neglect and a blame-the-victim response. Research into prevention, treatment and palliative care was not a popular cause.
{snip}
An AIDS march in 1988. The disease was at first met largely with fear, neglect and a blame-the-victim response. Brant Ward/San Francisco Chronicle, via Getty Images
Mr. Seltzer collaborated with Joyce Bove, Katherine Acey and others to found Funders Concerned About AIDS in 1987 and served as its executive director until 1997. He was a founder of Funders for L.G.B.T.Q. Issues and a chairman of Lambda Legal and the LGBT Community Center in Manhattan. From 2003 to 2006, he was president of Philanthropy New York, an umbrella group.
{snip}
Mr. Seltzer was both persistent and pragmatic. “It’s not enough to only want to do good,” he said. “You have to do good well.” Leadership Fellows at the Trust
{snip}
Sam Roberts is an obituaries reporter for The Times, writing mini-biographies about the lives of remarkable people.
In the 1980s, when government lagged in its response to the disease, he solicited private support for prevention and treatment.
Michael Seltzer this year. His experience with a friend dying of AIDS inspired him to raise money to combat the disease. Richard Louissaint, via Leadership Fellows at the Trust
By Sam Roberts
Sept. 8, 2025
Michael Seltzer, whose bedside vigil for a friend who was dying of AIDS transformed him into a prodigious fund-raiser who rallied individuals, foundations and corporations to support the prevention and treatment of the disease in the 1980s, when it was largely neglected at all levels of government, died on July 31 at his summer home on Governor Island, near Branford, Conn. He was 78.
His husband, Ralph Tachuk, said the cause was cardiac arrest. His death was not widely reported at the time.
“Michael’s pursuit of a world without AIDS was personal,” Kevin Jennings, the chief executive of the civil rights advocacy group Lambda Legal, said in an interview. “After witnessing a friend’s battle with AIDS in the 1980s, he felt a profound responsibility to act. ”
Mysterious at first, and with no proven treatment, AIDS was met largely with fear, neglect and a blame-the-victim response. Research into prevention, treatment and palliative care was not a popular cause.
{snip}
An AIDS march in 1988. The disease was at first met largely with fear, neglect and a blame-the-victim response. Brant Ward/San Francisco Chronicle, via Getty Images
Mr. Seltzer collaborated with Joyce Bove, Katherine Acey and others to found Funders Concerned About AIDS in 1987 and served as its executive director until 1997. He was a founder of Funders for L.G.B.T.Q. Issues and a chairman of Lambda Legal and the LGBT Community Center in Manhattan. From 2003 to 2006, he was president of Philanthropy New York, an umbrella group.
{snip}
Mr. Seltzer was both persistent and pragmatic. “It’s not enough to only want to do good,” he said. “You have to do good well.” Leadership Fellows at the Trust
{snip}
Sam Roberts is an obituaries reporter for The Times, writing mini-biographies about the lives of remarkable people.