Of interest to me (among many other things) is Colorado’s rich history in relation to the printing industry. Last month while researching a different subject, I came across the name Irvin A. Comito. It turns out Comito was a commercial pressman; and so my search to learn more about him began. For those unaware of what a commercial pressman does, their work involves running and maintaining printing presses. From newspapers, to magazines, books, posters and brochures, pressman are ultimately responsibility for the quality of printed material that comes off the printing press.
Armando Irvin Comido was born in Denver on October 3, 1910. His father Angelo Comido (1881-1955) came to the United States from Montecorvino Rovella, Italy around 1900. A hill town and commune in the province of Salerno, Montecorvino Rovella is part of the Campania region of south-west Italy. Armando’s mother Vincenza “Jenny” Brunetti (1884-1973) was also from Montecorvino Rovella; she came to America in 1902. On December 13, 1903, Jenny married Angelo Comido in Denver. In 1905, the Comido’s oldest child Joseph was born, followed by Santo, Florentino or Floyd, Armando (known as Irvin) and Rose.
The son of a laborer, Irvin Comido grew up in Denver’s Little Italy. For many years his family lived at 3348 Navajo Street. Around 1930, Irvin Comito began his apprenticeship at a print shop. Also at this time, Comido became Comito. The reasons for the change remain unknown, however, it’s likely that overtime the pronunciation (or mispronunciation) of the name resulted in the confusion and misspellings. Interestingly, Irvin’s parents used both spellings over the years, but ultimately they preferred Comido, as recorded on their gravestones; Irvin’s mother Jenny died in 1955 and his father Angelo in 1973. In 1932 Irvin Comito married Ida Accorso, the daughter of Italian immigrants and fellow resident of Denver’s Little Italy. By 1933 Irvin was employed at Frey and Cunningham Printers at 1412 Glenarm Street. In the 1940s, Irvin took a job at Colorado based Bradford-Robinson printing; he worked for the company for over thirty years.
Irvin and Ida Comito had two children: daughter Vincie and son Angelo. Ida Comito died in 1980, followed by Irvin who died in 2000. By: Alisa DiGiacomo
