The Hub of the Gay Universe: An LGBTQ History of Boston, Provincetown, and Beyond Paperback – April 1, 2019
by Russ López
Partner John Wieners
Queer Places:
38 Grove St, Boston, MA 02114
17 Irving St, Boston, MA 02114
Dixon Cemetery
Dixon, Solano County, California, USA
Russell Dana Durkee (June 6, 1929 - January 21, 1983) was 5 years older than John Wieners. In 1952, Wieners fell in love with Durkee. Tall with a blond crewcut, Russell Dana Durkee was a former high school football star from Swampscott, returning to Boston after four years in the navy. Durkee was reluctant to be open about their relationship. However, Wieners persuaded him to use his G.I. benefits to go to Boston College and the two began an on-and-off 6 years relationship. In 1954, Durkee and Wieners moved into an apartment at 38 Grove St, on the north slope of Beacon Hill. The area was popular with artists, gays, and the down-and-out. In 1955, Wieners left Boston to attend Black Mountain College for a semester. Returning, Wieners and Durkee rented an apartment at 17 Irving St, where they lived off of Durkee's unemployment check of $19 per week. From 1958 to 1960 Wieners lived in San Francisco and actively participated in the San Francisco Poetry Renaissance. In San Francisco Wieners broke up with Durkee for the last time and bounced between friends' apartments, slowly sinking further into depression and drugs.
In 1966 Durkee married Patricia A. "Pady" Fielder (1940–2006).
References:
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The Hub of the Gay Universe: An LGBTQ History of Boston, Provincetown, and Beyond Paperback – April 1, 2019 by Russ López |
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