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Allen Briggs

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Allen Briggs

Allen Briggs passed away on Monday August 10. The final ceremonies were held on Thursday, August 13, and cremation on Saturday August 15 at Wat Chaimongkol.
Allen Briggs has always been a quiet, shy, retiring person; never seeking the limelight, never pushing himself forward and until a few years ago recently choosing to be on “the other side” of the camera and so it was with surprise and pleasure that Allen chose to sit and reveal more of his personal details for publication. Having known him for most of his time here in Pattaya and knowing his reluctance to have his photo printed in the publications with which I was associated, there are no “file photos” to print.

Allen Briggs

On settling in Pattaya Allen quickly became a source of much information regarding gay events and activities here in Pattaya and later, on a Thailand-wide front, hiding behind the “nom de guerre” Gay Pattayan.
Life has presented itself in varied ways; none ever seeming easy and none leaving Allen time to sit and enjoy the fruits of his labour but when ill health brought him up short a few years ago he then realised how much his website was appreciated, how many lives he had touched and how grateful people were by the generosity of donations and contributions received to help the expensive medical costs incurred in the surgery he had undergone during his illness.
Allen has been a resident in Pattaya for over fifteen years. Originally from Mt. Clements just outside Detroit in Michigan. No stranger to work having a paper route from age 11 through to graduation. Whilst going through law school he still had a job in order to support himself. As he says, he has always had to work and never took time off. He worked in the local prosecutor’s office and then became prosecuting attorney, but with only 15,000 people there was not a lot of work. But he said despite that he was very happy there. After 9 years he sold his private practice but is still waiting for the money! From there he went to California and passed the bar exam at the first attempt. He became the assistant City Attorney of St. Bernardino, then City Attorney of Cathedral City. He became the Head of Inland Empire Municipal Lawyers Association and from there he retired to Thailand. After three years of retirement he got bored (as one does) and took up an appointment at Assumption University in Bangkok at their Law School. He enjoyed this but the money was on the Thai scale and so he moved to the Asian University on a better salary and remained on staff there until recently.
Allen is known by many personally in Pattaya by his support of the Pattaya Gay Festival events, the work of Thais-4-Life and more recently the Take Care safe sex project. These charities and other events organized by the gay venues in and around Pattaya and Jomtien have featured widely until recently on Allen’s Pattayagay.com website. His sole aim he says was to publicise as much as possible gay activities here in Pattaya and bring notice of events to the attention of as wide an audience as possible to help the charities and to support the owners of gay venues during high and low seasons. He has worked tirelessly to foster better understanding within the gay community
Allen’s background and his work in America with HIV/AIDS sufferers made him poignantly aware of those similarly afflicted here in Thailand and especially in Pattaya. He has tirelessly helped promote the work of Dr. Philippe Seur and the support given by the Pattaya Gay Festival to this HEARTT 2000 cause.
Allen Briggs as the Gay Pattayan has been called the gay community’s “Thailand Ambassador of Goodwill”. He is a true gentleman with a heart of gold.
Allen has passed from this world, many, past students at the University, Thais his charity work helped, tourists who read his website contributions, residents in Pattaya, Jomtien and Bangkok who have been privileged to know him will, however, keep him alive in their memories. We appreciate all you did dear Allen, Rest in Peace.

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