Ivan George Tate, Jr. was born November 11, 1936, in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Ivan George Sr. and Vera Elizabeth Tate. He attended Tulsa Public Schools, graduating from Booker T. Washington High School in 1954.
Ivan received a B.S. from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. He was the first African American to be a member of the Bradley University football team and was later inducted into the Bradley University Hall of Fame. While there, he met and married the love of his life Donna Marie Cummings. Two beautiful children, Greg and Janet, were born of this union.
Ivan began his employment with the state of Colorado at Lookout Mountain School for Boys in 1960, teaching Industrial Arts and coaching football. He was later promoted to Director of Lookout Mountain School for Boys. During this time he received a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Northern Colorado. Ivan promoted to the Assistant Director of the Division of Youth Corrections. In 1984 Governor Richard Lamm honored Ivan for his outstanding service with the Governor’s Citation. He received numerous outstanding awards.
Ivan was one of the founders of the Denver Association of Black Basketball Officials, President of the local chapter of the Blacks in Criminal Justice, and on the board of the Salvation Army, U.S. Bank, Parole Boards, and held an office in the national criminal justice organization.
Ivan joined the Catholic Church and the Cure d’Ars Catholic community during Easter in 2007. On many occasions he remarked how he loved this church and its parishioners. He was a very active member of the church. He was involved with the Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) Group, and he was on church committees, such as the Ushers and Social Ministries; he was the assistant Junior Knight Commander for the Knights of Peter Claver. Ivan was chairman of the Cure d’Ars Black Catholic History Study Group. If anyone wants to know how to run an informative and interesting book study group, ask any member of Ivan’s book review group. He as a tremendous leader!
Ivan leaves to mourn his passing, wife Donna, son Greg (Laura), daughter Janet Tate-Barber (Irwin), sister Carol, brothers, Walter “Kenny” (Elaine), Everett (Helen), Richard (Suzanne), uncle Lionel Lee, two grandchildren, Joy and Joshua, numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, and a host of friends and extended family. He was preceded in death by his mother, father, sister Barbara, and brother in law Hubert.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18