Bart Rauluk, controller and director of client services for Veritas Communications Advisors and president of the board of directors of Allies for Health + Wellbeing, died on Wednesday, July 9, after a long illness.  

“Bart shared his story of living with HIV freely to help eliminate stigma and make others aware of the virus and its impact on individuals and the community,” said Mary Bockovich, CEO of Allies for Health + Wellbeing.

“He did it all with a sense of humor and wry wit,' she continued. 'I feel privileged to have worked with Bart for 20 years, and I am humbled by his service to the community.” 

“Working with Bart on the Allies board has been one of the great joys of my service,” said Keri Harmicar, senior communications director for UPMC Health Plan and Allies board vice president. “His warmth, humor, and leadership left an indelible mark on our organization and me personally. More than a colleague, he was a trusted confidant. I learned so much from him, not just professionally, but about life. I’ll miss him deeply.” 

Bart was a champion, adviser, donor to and supporter of the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force and Allies for Health + Wellbeing since 1994.  He supported and attended virtually all of Allies for Health + Wellbeing events and volunteered untold hours of his time to assist the organization's mission. He served multiple tenures on Allies’ board of directors, totaling 13 and a half years, including seven and a half years as board president. 

For his work assisting those living with HIV and AIDS, he was presented with the Kerry Stoner Award in 2018. Stoner was one of the founders of the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force and died of complications of AIDS in 1993. The Kerry Stoner Award is presented annually by Allies for Health + Wellbeing to someone who has shown commitment to Stoner’s legacy and vision.  

Bart made numerous advocacy visits to both Harrisburg and Washington, D.C., on behalf of Allies and was the one of the guiding forces behind the agency's expansion into medical care in 2016.   

In recent years, he decided to share more of his personal story of living with HIV. 

“In 1987, I was living in Delaware,” Bart said in a 2023 interview. “I went to the county health department to get a test. I did that, and they had me come in three days later, and they sat me down with a social worker and they told me what the results were. The next thing the social worker said was, ‘Here’s a book about what we know about AIDS.’ He goes, ‘Get ready to die.’ That simple. I never read the book.” 

Nearly 40 years later, he reflected on his work in the HIV community. “I kind of took the posture of, I’ve seen all this go on, I’ve been dealing with it myself, and I want to become an advocate,” he said. “If you’re bored, or you feel like you have any sense of value, then get involved. There are so many ways you can get involved.” 

“Bart was a vanguard in the realm of HIV advocacy and a passionate and dedicated supporter of the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force and Allies,” Bockovich said. “He will be deeply missed.”