Sewn in Memory: Paul “Paco” Arbogast

Paul “Paco” Arbogast attended school in St. Joseph, Illinois and graduated from St. Joseph High School in 1973.  He was in the Air Force from 1979-1982.  He was also a bartender and cook. In this video, Paco’s sister, Cindy Arbogast, and one of Paco’s lovers, Tony Viteri, remember Paco.

These videos commemorate men who died from AIDS in central Illinois in the 1980s and 1990s as told through stories from their friends and family.  They are produced by the University of Illinois Department of Journalism and Illinois Public Media as part of Sewn in Memory: AIDS Quilt Panels from Central Illinois, a community-curated exhibit created for the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures in 2021 in collaboration with the Greater Community AIDS Project of East Central Illinois (GCAP) and the Department of History at the University of Illinois.