Lawrence Donato Papers

Collection

Identifier: ARL40

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Collection contains cCertificates, plaque, publications, photographs, shirts, baseball caps that relate mostly to the Syrian Temple No. 49 of Denver.

Dates

1951-2001

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Copyright

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from material in the collection should be discussed with the appropriate librarian or archivist. Permission for publication may be given on behalf of the Denver Public Library as the owner of the physical item. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained by the customer. The Library does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or publication rights of the manuscript held by the writer, heirs, donors, or executors. Reproduction restrictions are decided on a case-by-case basis.

Biographical / Historical

Lawrence Donato (1925-2010) was the second African American to be licensed to sell new and used cars in Denver, Colo. He was a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Korean War (1950-1952). Donato was employed at Colvin Pontiac and later retired from Caldwell Kirk Mortuary after 10 years of service. He was a member of Zion Baptist Church, Syrian Temple #49, and a longtime parade marshall for Denver's MLK marches and parades.