THEN I WAS HIRED IN A STEEL SHOP AS A LABORER AT 12 CENTS PER HOUR FOR A TEN HOUR DAY. I WORKED SEVEN DAYS A WEEK FOR A WHOLE YEAR AND THEN I GOT TRANSFERRED TO THE REPAIR DEPARTMENT ON BIG MACHINERY AT 15 CENTS PER HOUR. MY ROOM AND BOARD CAME TO 20.00 per MONTH,

I WORKED ON THIS REPAIR JOB UNTIL THE END OF 1912 and IN THAT YEAR I ORGANIZED A SERBIAN LODGE #32, ST. JOHN. IT IS STILL OPERATING TODAY TO GIVE MEMBERS PROTECTION IN CASE OF DEATH OR ILLNESS. REVEREND JOHN AYNOVIOH OF THE SERBIAN CHURCH CAME TO SEE ME IN FRANKLIN. HE WAS PLEASED WITH WHAT I HAD DONE. HE BECAME MY ADVISOR AND TEACHER.

IN 1913 I GOT A NEW JOB IN CONSTRUCTION AND HELD THAT JOB UNTIL1916 WHEN I LEFT FRANKLIN AND FRIENDS FOR EAST PITTSBURGH TO WORK AT THE WESTINGHOUSE COMPANY. REVEREND AYNOVICH SUGGESTED THIS TO ME.


I BECOME A NEWS CORRESPONDENT, AND START A SCHOOL TO TEACH WRITING

IN 1913 I STARTED TO WRITE A COLUMN IN THE SERBIAN NEWSPAPER KOLO (CIRCLE) PRINTED IN ZAGREB. MY COLUMN WAS PRINTED ONCE A WEEK, OF LIFE AND WORK OF SERBIAN IMMIGRANTS IN AMERICA.

IN 1914 THE FIRST WORLD WAR BROKE OUT AND ALL SERBIAN NEWSPAPERS IN ZAGREB WERE CONFISCATED. THIS SAME YEAR I MADE APPLICATION FOR SERBIAN CLUB IN FRANKLIN. AN ATTORNE TOLD ME WE MUST HAVE FIVE U. S. CITIZENS TO SIGN THE CHARTER AND I LOCATED THEM. IN 1915 I STARTED

A SCHOOL IN THE CLUB FOR ALL WRO WISHED TO WRITE HOME. THIS TOO WAS SUCCESSFUL. A CONVENTION OF THE SERBIAN NATIONAL FEDERATION WAS CALLED IN 1916 AND I WAS THE DELEGATE TO REPRESENT MY OLD LODGE #32, THE ONE I ORGANIZED, IN 1912. I WAS THE YOUNGEST DELEGATE.

ON JULY 1. 1916 DELEGATES FROM ALL OVER UNITED STATES AND CANADA. MY FRIEND AYNOVIOH WAS THERE AND I MET THE WILMERDING DELEGATE GLISO ZIVKOVICH. THE CONVENTION LASTED 2 WEEKS AND IT WAS A MAD HOUSE. I WAS GLAD TO GET BACK TO MY FRANKLIN JOB.

AT THIS TIME REVEREND IAYNOVICH ADVISED ME TO LEAVE FRANKLIN AND GO TO EAST PITTSBURGH TO APPLY FOR WORK AT THE WESTINGHOUSE COMPANY AND TO GO TO TRADE SCHOOL. I WAS 23 YEARS OLD.

I START WORK AT WESTINGHOUSE

A NEW LODGE PRESIDENT HAD TO BE ELECTED AND THIS WAS DONE IN AUGUST, 1916. I LANDED IN EAST PITTSBURGH ON LABOR DAY WITH A LETTER FROM REV. AYNOVICH TO THE DIRECTOR OF PERSONNEL. AFTER I WAS HIRED, I LOOKED FOR A ROOM ON ELECTRIC AVENUE. I MOVED IN WITH A CROATIAN

COUPLE NAMED THOMAS GOISUBICH. FOR 10.00 PER WEEK I GOT A NICE ROOM AND BREAKFAST. IN THE SHOP I COULD BUY A BOX LUNCH AND A PINT OF MILK FOR 35 CENTS AND IN THE EVENING I STOPPED IN THE GERMAN CLUB FOR A BIG DINNER COSTING 75 CENTS. I LIVED ON ELECTRIC AVENUE FOR 20 MONTHS. WHEN THE TRADE SCHOOL WAS MOVED TO THE PENN AVENUE HIGH SCHOOL, I MOVED TO A BOARDING HOUSE RUN BY ZIVKOVICH’S, ON SEVENTH STREET IN TURTLE CREEK.

THERE WERE FIVE IN THE FAMILY AND FIVE BOARDERS. THE HOUSE WAS CROWDED AND NEEDED REPAIR.THE OLD LADY HAD TWO SONS WHO DID NOT DO ANY REPAIRS. THE OLD LADY WAS IN THE MOONSHINE BUSINESS TO HELP SUPPORT HERSELF. ANOTHER BOARDER HELPED HER WITH THIS IN THE DAYS OF PROHIBITION.


MY PEOPLE NEEDED ME

I AM PROUD OF WHAT I DID IN FRANKLIN, PA IN THE SEVEN YEARS THAT I WAS THERE. MY PEOPLE NEEDED ME. I SPENT THREE YEARS IN THE TRADE SCHOOL. THIS GAVE ME AN ADVANTAGE THAT I COULD NOT GET AT FRANKLIN, MY FRIEND REV. AYNOVICH COULD SEE THAT, HE MUST HAVE HAD A LOT OF FAITH IN ME TO SEND ME 55 MILES AWAY TO NEW OPPORTUNITY. MY UNCLE FROM YUGOSLAVIA SENT ME A COMPLETE SET OF MATHEMATICS BOOKS. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE IN GERMAN OR AMERICAN MATHEMATICS BECAUSE ALL MATHEMATICS IS BASED ON GREEK STUDIES, DATING FROM THE FOURTH CENTURY. MY UNCLE WAS A PROFESSOR IN ZEMUN UNIVERSITY. MY FATHER WROTE TO ME THAT I MUST COME HOME AFTER THE WORLD WAR ENDED IN NOV 11, 1918.


PEACE WAS CONCLUDED BY THE END OF 1919 AND MY SCHOOLING AND TRADE WOULD BE COMPLETED BY 1920. I PLANNED TO RETURN TO MY FATHER’S FARM.