GEORGE SLIVKA STATION AGENT, DISTRICT OPERATIONS MANAGER, STATION MANAGER, TICKET COUNTER AGENT POY CFT TUS OMA DEN STL CYS SLC Don Anderton phoned today and told me George's daughter-in-law told him George died near PHX Oct. 2004. I cannot find him in the SSDI - there are 12 George Slivkas but the dates don't match. Nor could I find an obituary in the PHX newspeper website. -Jake Lamkins (6/1/05) G. Slivka Jr. is #18 on the Nov.1, 1955 seniority list with a hire date of 6-2-48. The Nov. 4, 1955 personnel roaster and Mar. 1, 1956 station personnel roster show George Slivka, TUS station manager. -Jake Lamkins (6/2/05) Don Anderton phoned and said he had spoken to George's son who told him there was no obituary. His son promised to send Don a "story of his life" which he will forward to me. -Jake Lamkins (6/8/05) I remember I worked as relief agent for George Slivka 3 times during the latter half of 1953 while he was Station Manager at Clifton, AZ (CFT) -Ed Baker (6/10/05) I worked for Geroge Slivka when he was Station Manager in STL. That was back in 1968/69. The last that I heard was that he was working in SLC. Charlie Clark (6/10/05) I worked with George in SLC in 1973/74. It was good to just be around him. A real gentleman. -Ron Abfalter (6/10/05) HISTORY OF GEORGE SLIVKA, JR. George Slivka was born on February 18, 1924 to immigrants from Eastern Europe. He was the oldest of 6 children and spent his entire childhood in a small coal mining town in eastern Pennsylvania. George’s childhood was filled with activities like: • Mushroom picking in the forest. • Learning Russian in the basement of the Russian Orthodox Church. • Picking coal scraps from mining waste to heat the family home. • Celebrating Christmas as the most wonderful time of the year. • And looking after his younger siblings. During World Ward II, George served in the Marine Corp. and spent 18 months in the Solomon Islands of the South Pacific. His military service qualifies him and his wife to be buried in the National Military Cemetery in north Phoenix. While all of his siblings married and raised their families within 100 miles of their home town, George ventured west. He was one of the pioneers of the passenger airline industry and worked in ground operations in: • Clifton, AZ • Tucson, AZ • Pueblo, CO • Omaha,NE • Denver. CO • St. Louis, MO • Cheyenne, WY • And retired in Salt Lake City, UT after 35 years of service with Frontier Airlines. George met Anna Lee Peterson in eastern Arizona and married her on June 23, 1951. They were a dashing young couple with the reputation of being the best dressed and best dancers in town. George and Anna Lee have two children. Scott and Shawna. and eleven grandchildren. His son and four of his grandchildren have served LDS missions around the world. George maintained several lifelong hobbies: • He read literally thousands of western and spy novels. • He could watch 4 or 5 football or basketball games at the same time. The Utah Jazz were his favorite basketball team. And the Brigham Young University Cougars were his favorite football team. • His coin collection of nickels, dimes, and pennies helped augment the family income for many years. • He loved shopping for clothes and left a closet containing 60 pairs of pants. 70 shirts, and 20 pairs of shoes. • He was a watcher of people whether in the mall or from Wallmart’s coffee shop or from his porch in Greenfield Glen. Little known facts about George include: • He was a professional baseball umpire. • He loved the color yellow. • After almost 60 years of smoking, he quit “cold turkey”. • He could nap almost anywhere and at anytime. • He enjoyed his food extra hot and spicy and with plenty of garlic. • He somehow developed a taste for strange foods like pickled pigs fit and lambs tongues. • He had more fun at the zoo than his kids did. • He was a skilled card player. • And he was the most unlucky fisherman in the world. For decades George and Anna Lee discussed where they would retire. He was adamant that they were going back to Pennsylvania. She was equally as firm that there was no place she was going but back to Arizona. Well, Anna Lee won and George ended up falling in love with Arizona a second time around. After several significant health challenges, George passed away on Sunday, October 24, 2004 at the age of 80. -By son Scott Received from Don Anderton, via Paul Farris (7/2/05) I first met George in '49 when he was a Relief Agent covering my vacation in WRL. As a Manager I appreciated his relief work as he fell right into the station routine whereas others sometimes had their own way of doing things. I bought my first car from him when he was in POY. I forgave him later! He was good dancer and a sharp dresser. I once asked him where he got his clothes (none of us were making over $175-200/mo at the time) he replied "at Goodwill!" He often looked quite distinguished smoking his pipe. George was easy going (I often called him "Gorgeous George Sloborowski"). He did have a temper though if you set him off. I remember visiting him at CFT, when we both worked down South, and asking him about the women situation. He said not very good although there was this snotty gal working at the bank (he later married her!). The three of us had a big laugh about it years later at their home in PUB. He pulled a short stint as Superintendent of Stations in '60 or '61. We had adjoining offices at 5900. I lost touch when he went back to the field, although I did see him once much later when he was working at the SLC counter. "GS" was a good friend. Thanks for the memories. -Bill Monday (7/20/05) I saw the comments about George Slivka, I first met George in 1959 when he was the station manager in Cheyenne. He was a great guy and in meetings used to say let's lay it out on the table. We all had a good laugh about that. -Herb Schmidt (8/4/05) I Remember When: By Duane Phelps 1949-1985 (36 years) Hired 6/49 Stn. Agt. Alamosa for $150 per mo.,6 day wk,8 hr. shifts. Capt. Geo. Meshko flew me to Pueblo in an open cockpit PT-19 to Watch the Blue Angels in prop F8 aircraft. (Better than Jets) Capt. Army Armstrong arrived early came into the Stn. Tuned the radio To HF Freq. Had me listen to an ATC Clearance, and told me I had better Be able to recite a clearance the next time he came thru. Jim Montgomery,Dir. Of Stns. Called Mgr. Stamey to fire both agents Tom McAfee and myself for visiting on the teletype for 20 mins. The Day before as all msgs went to all teletypes, we apologized and stayed on. Using the Official Airline Guide foo Schedules and Fares over our local Stn. Phone and teletype for reservations was an awesome experience. Transferred to Grand Junction Nov.49 and flew Steward 3days a wk. RT GJT/ABQsometimes missed conn. In Durango so onto DEN with RON At the Argonaut Hotel. Rode observer with Geo. Graham and Glen Gettman Practicing under hood at Stapelton, both became Capts. On my second FIt. I went to the cockpit and asked if it was true that the Pilots and stews sometimes shared the same bed and was told of coarse, That CO and TW stews were even waiting in their rooms on layover in ABQ. It took me a little while to realize how my leg had been pulled by the best Two pullers on the airline, Art Ashworth and Ace Avakian. Jim Montgomery sent me a message in Sept. 50 to report to SLC to replace Tom Makurat who had been drafted. Lou Berets was the Stn. Mgr. And Red Davis, Regional Mgr. The Stn. Was open 24 Hrs. and that lIP to 7A shift every 4 wks. Was tough to adjust too. Red Davis,Dex Alger and Scott Keller were Very close employee friends. Lou sent me to my first Stn.Mgr. Meeting in BIL, I only missed one Mgr. Meeting in 33 yrs. Feb. 1953 I was awarded Stn. Mgr. At Laramie WY. Ray Spiars,Paul McClure, Jim Snider, and John Chapel were agents that worked in LAR to continue Their college classes at the Univ. of Wyo. Our small terminal building was owned by FL, John & I were painting the wood shingles, he slipped off breaking his heel bone, but soon back to work in a walking cast. Runway lights were Flush with the ground, I had to sweep them off with a broon many times to Get the evening fIts. In. We had to drive our cars out to the airplane to install Control locks so they could taxi in due to high wind and back out to remove For takeoff. United Vice-Pres. in DEN would invite us FL mgrs. To sit in on their Daily briefing concerning the previous days operation for the entire UA system. The Conquistadores (all the airline and airplane mfg. Presidents) would come to a Dude Ranch in Saratoga WY. Each yr. We would drive rental cars from LAR to them. Met C.R. Smith AA, Bob Six CO, W.A. Patterson UA, and Donald Douglas. I received a Gold Pen from W.A. Patterson for assisting a UA accident in Snowy Range outside LAR in 1955. I won a trip to Europe on Sabena Airlines in 1957 for a story ! submitted. Lois a i spent 15 days and 7 cities at age 27. 1958 to Riverton WY. Stn. Mgr. $375 per mo. We had 3 way connection of fits. Twice a day. Harold Long, Gary McCarrel, and Homer Cauthon were Sr. Agts. And a great crew that worked split shifts for many years. We moved into a new terminal in 1959, two yrs. Later someone left a cigarette and half the building burned at night, we continued flights, but the smell was not pleasant. Transferred to SLC Stn. Mgr. May 1964. We had a UA DC-3 with a small cargo door on the opposite side, I was to show the agents how to latch it, did not do it right and we had 7 bags fall out on the runway at 80 MPH when FIt. Returned. Luckily we did not lose any mail pouches. We had previous Mgrs. Come to Work in SLC, Gordon Bost, Geo. Hobbs, Clay Tanner, and Geo. Slivka. Don Anderton was Asst. Mgr, Gary McCarrel, Stan Covington,Dean Buethe, and Don Halterman were Sr. Agts. Maint.,Stewardess, and Pilots were based in SLC. We had many fog problems usually around the Holidays, created severe Problems attempting to work Fits. At Ogden Airport. The AL Feldman years were the best for the employees and the Airline and he will never be forgotten by most of us that knew him personally. -Duane Phelps (2/6/06)