Elizabeth Calabrese...
She Will Be Missed

It is with great sadness that we let you know that Laradon’s founder, Mrs. Elizabeth Calabrese, died Sunday, June 26, 2011. She spent Saturday, June 25 with her great nephew and his children and then died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday. 

Mrs. Calabrese celebrated her 100th birthday last November – her family came from all over the country to honor her for all she had accomplished in her life time.  At the party she talked about her passionate dream of making certain her sons, Larry and Donald, had a good life.  Her passion has helped thousands of Colorado’s citizens with developmental disabilities have better lives.

Mrs. Calabrese dedicated her adult life to Laradon. She was never one to stand back and let others do the work; she worked wholeheartedly for decades in the effort to keep her family's dream alive. She endowed Laradon with priceless personal assets including stamina, persistence, compassion and a dogged determination to give children a safe and loving environment in which to learn.

Mrs. Calabrese’s legacy is still seen each day in the programs and services that Laradon provides. We continue to be a place of hope, where education and training are combined with compassion and love resulting in the very best for children and adults with developmental disabilities and other special needs.

More About Mrs. Calabrese:

Elizabeth Calabrese was born on November 5, 1910 in Superior, Colorado. Her father left the family when Elizabeth was a teenager, so she quit high school and got a job at a department store in Denver to help her mother support her brothers and sisters. In 1927, Elizabeth met her future husband, Joseph (Joe) Calabrese, at the world famous Tracadero Ballroom at Elitch Gardens when Joe asked Elizabeth to dance. After that first dance neither of them dated anyone else again. Joe and Elizabeth were married in 1935 and settled in Northwest Denver. They had great plans to start a family.

Their first son, Donald, was born in 1936. When Donald was about 18 months old, Elizabeth heard the words that would change her life, "Your son is retarded." Elizabeth had a hard time believing the doctor who told her that her son would never get out of his crib. She began working with Donald at home. She helped him sit up and learn to crawl. She became very encouraged that her constant hard work was paying off when Donald started walking at two and a half years old.

When Donald was five years old, Elizabeth gave birth to Larry. Larry's development was also slower than other children. He started walking at two years of age and didn't talk until he was five years old. Elizabeth became even more determined to work with both of her sons so that they could grow and develop like other children. Under her constant guidance and patient care the boys did make progress and Elizabeth held out hope that her sons could attend public school and be successful.

Joe and Elizabeth made several attempts to get their sons enrolled in Denver Public Schools. Each attempt was met with rejection; their sons' I.Q. levels were too low for admission. Soon the Calabrese's realized that if they wanted their sons to receive an education they would have to be responsible for making it happen.

Cashing in their life savings, the Calabreses found a house at 3129 Federal Boulevard and opened Laradon, named after their two sons. Elizabeth and Joe were committed to serving children that were excluded from or denied permission to enter public school classes. On February 1, 1949, Laradon opened with three enrollments - Donald, Larry and one other student. Word quickly spread that there was a place that believed in educating children with developmental disabilities. The Calabreses were overwhelmed by inquiries from other parents of children with disabilities who wanted services. The Calabreses realized that there were hundreds of other children like Donald and Larry who desperately needed their services.

Within three months of opening, Laradon was at full capacity. Elizabeth worked tirelessly to make certain that the school operated smoothly. She became solely responsible for cooking, housekeeping, laundry and caring for the children; Elizabeth worked many hours each day, seven days a week to make certain that the children were well cared for. Elizabeth's persistence was certainly put to the test. She was in charge of providing housing, food, clothing and nursing care for nearly 100 children within the limits of a thin cash flow. Stubbornly, Elizabeth refused to give up or concede to the constant challenges of helping her students. She often said that she never thought about the possibility that Laradon would ever fail. "I was too busy to even fret about that kind of thing. Keeping that school going was a thing we had to do, so we just did it."

In 1950, the Calabreses were able to purchase the vacant Globeville Elementary School from Denver Public Schools with financial assistance from the Colorado Elks Association. We continue to operate out of this facility at 5100 Lincoln Street. Joe decided to run for the Colorado legislature in 1954 so that he could campaign for new laws that would make all children eligible for public school regardless of their I.Q. level. Meanwhile, Elizabeth made the commitment to carry out the couples' work at Laradon and there was nothing that Elizabeth would ask them to do that she wouldn't do herself or she would work right alongside of them to get the job done. She always wanted to have Laradon be nice and clean for the students. She wanted the same things for all children that she wanted for her own two sons.

Laradon's founding mother is known affectionately by thousands of children and adults with intellectual disabilities and generations of employees simply as "Mrs. C." She has touched the lives of so many people. All who knew Mrs. C. share love, honor and respect for her and the entire Calabrese family. We proudly celebrate the life of this amazing woman!