Embracing Italian and Mexican Cultures

By Jake Fegan

Emilio Don Alcaro

December 12, 1910 – June 10, 2005

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Emilio Don Alcaro was born in the Bronx, New York to Gregorio and Carmella Alcaro on December 12, 1910.[1] Both his mother and father were born in Italy before they moved to the Bronx. Gregorio Alcaro arrived in 1898 while Carmella arrived in 1904.[2] Gregorio Alcaro was a shoemaker and owned his own store while Carmella likely stayed at home to care for Emilio and his two older brothers Albino and Alfredo.

Emilio enjoyed sports, but in particular boxing. He boxed in New York as a middleweight and debuted on December 10, 1931.[3] He had three professional matches all in New York City. He won two of the matches but lost his final match by knockout.[4] Emilio’s boxing career turned out to be short because, according to his son Gregorio, “he got tired of the cuts - the trainers were taking too much.”[5] Emilio then opened up a gym with his fellow boxer Paul Berlenbach and named it Leather Pusher’s Gym. Aside from boxing, Emilio also had a passion for dancing, specifically ballroom dancing. He danced professionally and landed a few roles on Broadway.

On February 24, 1944, Emilio enlisted with the Marines, but was then transferred to the Navy.[6] His son describes his service: “As horrible as the war was… it seemed like he had an adventurous time. I can’t say that he enjoyed it, but maybe there were some experiences that were exciting.”[7] Emilio served in the Atlantic and the Pacific theatres. In the Navy he worked on amphibious landing crafts that carried Marines to the beaches in the Pacific and was also a gunner aboard battleships.[8]

Railway Express Agency [19]

After Emilio’s service, he returned to New York and worked as a supervisor of quality control for the Railway Express Agency, the precursor to FedEx.[9] It was at this time that Emilio met his future wife, Marta Rosa González at a Spanish club in New York. Emilio had always been interested in other cultures and took a particular interest in Marta’s Mexican culture.[10] Marta was not living in New York at the time but met Emilio through her sister who wanted to pursue a career in singing in New York. Marta’s sister met an acquaintance of Emilio and they eventually settled down in New York together. When they had a child together Marta’s family would visit her, and it was at this time that Marta and Emilio met. Marta did not agree to marry Emilio immediately after their first encounter, however, and Emilio had to work to gain her approval. According to Marta, “I had no intentions of being married at the time. He made three visits to Denver to convince me. He was very convincing.”[11] Marta and Emilio were married in Greenwich, Connecticut on September 11, 1955.[12]

Gonzales family outside Casa Mayan restaurant [20]

Marta’s family were local celebrities in the Denver community. Her parents, Ramón and Carolina González, owned the Casa Mayan Restaurant & Cultural Center in Auraria, Colorado, which was “an authentic Mexican restaurant that became popular to artists, musicians, politicians and socialites of all races and religions.”[13] This was an ideal place for Emilio to learn more about the Spanish and Mexican ancestry of his new family and, when the two settled in Denver in 1960, he did just that. Emilio began taking Spanish lessons with Marta, but Marta playfully conceded that “He spoke Italian-Spanish. If he forgot a word in Spanish, he’d use an Italian word.”[14] However, this did not deter Emilio from exploring the culture, and he continued to help Marta and her family at Casa Mayan. His son remembers that he enjoyed acquiring Spanish bull fighting films and playing them at Casa Mayan.[15]

Emilio Alcaro was a man who led an interesting life. His love of other cultures and duty to protect were shown time and time again throughout his lifetime. A story that his son Gregorio finds especially telling occurred after Emilio returned from World War II: “After the war, having fought the Japanese, he was at a playground in New York. A group of adults wouldn’t let this Japanese American man and his little girl use the playground. Dad went to their aid. He told the other parents to get lost. The man and my dad became lifelong friends. My dad didn’t like people to be bullied or picked on."[16] Emilio Alcaro died on June 10, 2005 at the age of 94.[17] He is survived by his three children Gregorio, Nickolaus, and Arlene.[18] Ever remembered for his defense and shelter of loved ones and community members alike, his headstone at Fort Logan National Cemetery reads “Arrivederci Loving Protector.”

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Footnotes ↓

[1] New York City Department of Health, “Emilio Alcaro New York”; “1910 U.S. Federal Census,” entry for Gregorio Alcaro, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

[2] Ibid.

[3] “Boxing’s Official Record Keeper, Emilio Alcaro,” BoxRec, accessed on January 17, 2020, https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/252861.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Gary Massaro, “BOXING, BALLROOM DANCING KEPT EMILIO ALCARO, 94, GOING STRONG,” Rocky Mountain News, June 18, 2005.

[6] “U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls,” entry for Emilio Alcaro, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

[7] Gregorio Alcaro, interview by Mathew Greenlee, Denver, Colorado, August 1, 2019, DU VLP.

[8] Massaro, “BOXING, BALLROOM DANCING KEPT EMILIO ALCARO, 94, GOING STRONG.”

[9] Ibid.

[10 ]Gregorio Alcaro, interview by Mathew Greenlee.

[11] Massaro, “BOXING, BALLROOM DANCING KEPT EMILIO ALCARO, 94, GOING STRONG.”

[12] “Connecticut Marriage Records, 1897-1968,” entry for Emilio Alcaro, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

[13] Chanel Ward, “Remembering Marta Rosa González De Alcaro,” El Semana, June 20, 2019, accessed January 16, 2020, http://elsemanariocalifornia.com/cover-story/remembering-marta-rosa-gonzalez-de-alcaro/.

[14] Massaro, “BOXING, BALLROOM DANCING KEPT EMILIO ALCARO, 94, GOING STRONG.”

[15] Gregorio Alcaro, interview by Mathew Greenlee.

[16] Massaro, “BOXING, BALLROOM DANCING KEPT EMILIO ALCARO, 94, GOING STRONG.”

[17] “Emilio D. Alcaro,” Find a Grave, accessed on January 17, 2020, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24706257.

[18] Massaro, “BOXING, BALLROOM DANCING KEPT EMILIO ALCARO, 94, GOING STRONG.”

[19] Author's Collection, "Railway Express Agency," American-Rails.com, Retrieved from: https://www.american-rails.com/raexag.html.

[20] Trini Gonzales High, "Gonzales family outside Casa Mayan restaurant," Denver Public Library, Retreived from: https://digital.denverlibrary.org/digital/collection/p15330coll14/id/686.

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