Father of W. Indian-American Carnival dies:
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(Brooklyn - WABC, January 22, 2007)

Carlos Lezama, the father of the city's annual West Indian American Day Carnival, died this morning in Brooklyn. He was 83.
Officials say Lezama, who helmed the massive celebration since its humble start 40 years ago, died at Kings County Hospital after being hospitalized for an undisclosed illness.

Dubbed "The Father of Brooklyn's Carnival," Lezama served as the West Indian American Day Carnival Association's president since its inception, and watched as it quickly grew into the largest festival in the city.

More than three million people now descend on Eastern Parkway each Labor Day to enjoy performances by groups from dozens of countries.

Over the decades, Lezama kept the peace as the frenzied festival traversed Brooklyn's culturally diverse streets.

He ensured that the carnival wasn't disrupted when critics objected to then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani's participation as a grand marshal in 1995, when the carnival coincided with Rosh Hashanah in 1994 and after the August 1991 disturbances in Crown Heights that were triggered when a car driven by a Jewish man struck and killed a young black boy.

"Throughout our lives my siblings, as well as my mother, have been privileged to share my father with the million who are part of the Carnival family," said his daughter, Yolanda Lezama-Clark, who took over carnival's reins from her father 2001. "I am grateful that he has left an impressive legacy of which we all as Caribbean people can be proud."

Funeral services have not yet been announced.

(Copyright 2007 WABC-TV)