Anthony Donato, Inventor of Tracklighting, Dies

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Anthony Donato

Courtesy Carlene Geraci

Anthony Donato

On Jan. 13, Anthony Donato, known to family and friends as Tony, passed away in Wellesley, Mass. Donato was a graduate of Pratt Institute with a B.F.A in Industrial Design. A fellow of the Illuminating Engineering Society, he was the former senior product designer at Lightolier where he invented tracklighting, holding the first patent awarded in 1961. Throughout his career he designed lighting fixtures for the track system, called Lytespan, and obtained 32 U.S. patents for the product line. The luminaires he designed are still found today in museums, galleries, retail spaces, and homes worldwide including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and The Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Funeral services were held Jan. 18. In lieu of flowers, donation may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, NE Chapter, 480 Pleasant St., Watertown Mass., 02472.

About the Author

Elizabeth Donoff

Elizabeth Donoff is Editor-at-Large of Architectural Lighting (AL). She served as Editor-in-Chief from 2006 to 2017. She joined the editorial team in 2003 and is a leading voice in the lighting community speaking at industry events such as Lightfair and the International Association of Lighting Designers Annual Enlighten Conference, and has twice served as a judge for the Illuminating Engineering Society New York City Section’s (IESNYC) Lumen Award program. In 2009, she received the Brilliance Award from the IESNYC for dedicated service and contribution to the New York City lighting community. Over the past 11 years, under her editorial direction, Architectural Lighting has received a number of prestigious B2B journalism awards. In 2017, Architectural Lighting was a Top Ten Finalist for Magazine of the Year from the American Society of Business Publication Editors' AZBEE Awards. In 2016, Donoff received the Jesse H. Neal Award for her Editor’s Comments in the category of Best Commentary/Blog, and in 2015, AL received a Jesse H. Neal Award for Best Media Brand (Overall Editorial Excellence).Prior to her entry into design journalism, Donoff worked in New York City architectural offices including FXFowle where she was part of the project teams for the Reuters Building at Three Times Square and the New York Times Headquarters. She is a graduate of Bates College in Lewiston, Me., and she earned her Master of Architecture degree from the School of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis.

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