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USU chef's journey goes from Heinz factory to Mechant Marine, Death Valley and . . . Logan By
Jessica Johnson Strange things happen when people meet on a banana boat on the way to the United States. That's what happened to Maria and Dan Puskarovich, the mother and father of Slavko "Jim" Puskarovich, who prepares meals at USU. Maria, a Croatian, was on her way to the United States to help her sister who was in serious condition because the doctor, who delivered her twins, only delivered one but left the other. They did not know she was expecting twins. She later died. Dan Puskarovich, a Serbian butcher and builder, passed through Ellis Island and left his name the same, but his mother didn't -- she changed it when she got married. "My people had a good background so there was nothing to hide. Most of my people served as officers in the military," he said. He had one uncle who served as an officer in the Czar's Imperial Guard, an elite military force. It has been a long, varied journey that brought Puskarovich to Logan. "Jim" was born on the north side of Pittsburgh, Pa., about three blocks from the H.J. Heinz Company, the producer of Heinz ketchup. He was one of 14 children and was named after a brother who passed away before he was born. His parents lost four children to childhood diseases. "Back then we didn't have antibiotics and if you got sick you were quarantined for 30 days. They would nail a big red sign to your front door and the only people that were allowed in and out were adults who had had the disease before," he said. Supplies were brought around to the quarantined houses in horse drawn wagons. Puskarovich spent most of his childhood in Pittsburgh and started school at Lockhart School; then his family moved to Cleveland where he started but didn't finish West High School. "There was a reason why I didn't finish high school when I went to high school you were permitted to apply for certain courses, and I wanted to be a Legionnaire, and I wanted to study French. I asked for French and algebra, mathematics, they told me that the class was all filled up, I was given social studies," he said. He had to study the same thing for three hours. "Fourth period I went to the gymnasium put on my tennis shoes and trunks and ran around a couple city blocks, took a shower, and then I went home," he said. He felt like he wasn't gaining anything. He left without finishing the ninth grade. His first job after quitting school was at Davis Laundry making $20 a week. He then held several factory jobs without union protection. He was paid 10 cents an hour. At one factory he was forced to work half a day Saturday without pay. "The company had a policy that they furnished us the machine to earn a livelihood, and it was up to us to maintain it," he said. "So the way they inspected it if they found a little bit of dirt you had to do the whole job over again." "This is why when people talk about unionism and non-unionism they should get educated first. 'Cause things changed because of unionism in the country and it changed for the better," he said. Puskarovich's life changed dramatically when he joined the Merchant Marines. When asked what the Merchant Marines do he said: "They work on ships and it's a variety of things depending on what your classification is. I went to Sheepshead Bay Maritime Training School. You take the same training like the navy of coast guard does. But you learn ship construction and preparation of foods," he said. According to http://www.usmm.org/sheepsheadbay.html, Sheepshead Bay is a city within a city, larger by far than the hometowns of millions of Americans. The station is geared to a capacity of 10,000 trainees, and has an annual output of more than 35,000 graduates. Its men come from every state of the Union, and for many of the apprentice seamen who enter its gates. The waters that surround the station on three sides are the first salt water they have ever seen. Puskarovich's first assignment was on a troop transport ship; he was a quartermaster AB, they steer the ship, use a compass and they use the course set down by the navigator. Then he transferred to the West Coast to work on a tanker because tankers and munitions ships were usually wide open. "Most guys like solid cargo. They didn't like tankers because when tankers explode it's very difficult swimming through oil. You have to do most of your swimming underwater. And if the oil is on fire you have to learn how to come up underneath it and twirl you arms around to break the flames away form you face so you can breathe and go back underwater. "You just better hope you're not swimming towards the ship," he said, laughing. He served on the S.S. Bunker Hill, a T-2 tanker, one of the largest tankers on the high seas at the time. The S.S. Bunker Hill had a unique history. When Igor Sikorsky was developing the helicopter he had Charles Lindbergh of Spirit of St. Louis fame as one his test pilots. They wanted to see if it was feasible to land a helicopter on a ship. They had to make several modifications before they could land aircraft on the ship. They had to cut the main mast and clear the cables away so the propellers wouldn't hit them. Then they had to install a flight deck that was later used to transport planes to England. The main cargo of the ship was aviation fuel and crude oil. "On a tanker ship, you service navy ships and keep them on line so they don't have to leave the combat line. So you pick up a load of oil and then it's discharged either to a navy tanker or a navy vessel to keep them refueled," he said. The U.S.S. Bunker Hill was stationed east of Yap Island, which was controlled by the Japanese in World War II. Puskarovich went on to serve in the Army and the Marines. The training he received in the Merchant Marines proved to be invaluable during the Korean War. He received a commendation for keeping a cool head during an invasion by the Koreans. The folds in the paper made a thin grid that had yellowed over the years. He also received 13 medals. His baseball cap with a worn brim is emblazoned with a large Marine Corps Emblem, and many pins signifying the different branches of the military, including his honorable discharge pin he received from the army. Puskarovich wasn't always a military man; he worked at the Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley, Calif., then run by the Fred Harvey Corp. He met his second wife, Joyce. She was a hostess at the Inn while he was a steward and baker. He made the "Famous Death Valley Date Nut Bread." Joyce was one of the famous "Harvey Girls." According to http://www.amfac.com/success/hospitality.htm, they were carefully trained, well-groomed young women who were hired as waitresses that increased customer traffic. Before long, Harvey was operating restaurants, hotels, and newsstands in increasing numbers. Hostesses managed the restaurants and kept them running efficiently. They usually made $200-400 a day in tips alone. "You never saw a tip for less than $20," he said. He married Joyce in 1990 and moved to Utah for the second time. The first time was when he was in the Army and he was stationed at Hill Field. Upon arrival in Cache Valley he got a job with Logan Manufacturing. He is currently employed by Utah State University Food Services in the Carousel kitchen. He prepares the Mexican food and makes most things from scratch. "Jim is a great employee and an asset to the company. He is always willing to pitch in where needed," said Jeff Wooley, Carousel chef. Puskarovich said, "You are never too old to learn. You can get all the education in the world but you have to apply it to your life and your community. Your life is like bookends -- it doesn't matter where it starts or where it ends; it's what you do in between that matters."
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