August Anthony Wavpotich

PVT in 603rd Engineer Camouflage Bn : Co B

ASN#12181289

Born 1922 in NJ, Died 2005

Artist

County of residence at enlistment: Queens County, NY

Other residence(s): Queens, NY; Demarest, NJ; Hilton Head, SC

United States Army, did not accompany the unit to Europe

Occupation before the war: commercial artists

College education before the war: Pratt 2 years

College education after the war: Penn State

Notes: Transferred; later earned rank of 1LT

Source: 603rd Camouflage Engineer Roster provided by W. Anderson

Gus Wavpotich was born on August 7, 1922 in Hoboken, NJ, the second of two sons. His father was a metal worker and both of his parents had immigrated from Slovenia (or Austria or Yugoslavia depending on the year and the political situation).

Gus graduated from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan in 1939, and studied art at Pratt before the war. He registered for the draft on June 30, 1942, and enlisted on October 30, 1942. At the time he was living in Queens, NY, and gave his occupation as commercial artist.

Like many New York area artists and students (including dozens from Pratt) he was assigned to the 603rd Engineer Camouflage Battalion. But sometime in 1943 he was transferred out, likely to attend Officer Candidate School, and saw service in the Pacific with another engineering unit during the war.

He was discharged with the rank of 1LT, studied at Penn State University, and pursued a career in advertising. He married Evelyn Marie Safford, and they became the parents of four daughters: Christine, Susan, Jean, and Judith.

Gus eventually became vice president and art director at Ogilvy & Mather Advertising in New York City, and, according to his obituary, "his artistic talent received national recognition in the advertising industry."

Gus and his family lived in Demarest, NJ where he was an active participant in civic affairs, serving on the conservation commission, and on a committee to draft a new snow clearance ordinance.

He retired in 1973, shortly after he turned 50, and he and Evelyn moved to Hilton Head, SC where he took up part time careers in the arts and cuisine. Gus was one of the original members of the Hilton Head Institute of the Arts, an umbrella organization developed to help fund and encourage activity in the arts, as well as sponsor art education in the Hilton Head schools. He also served on the board of directors for the Hilton Head Art League.

In 1977, Evelyn became the food editor at the local newspaper, The Island Packet, a position she held until 1989. Gus, meanwhile, was director of the Island Packet/2nd Course Cooking School, and both he and Evelyn taught cooking courses there. A 1977 article about him says that "Wavpotich, having tasted food all over the world, takes cooking seriously and researches all his recipes as he did when he prepared Chicken Kiev and other Russian fare for the [Women's Association of Hilton Head]."

A man of broad capabilities and interests, Gus also enjoyed tennis, sailing, and racing. He served as commodore of the Nyack Boat Club in New York and the Yacht Club of Hilton Head. He was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church, the Navy League, the Hilton Head Island Computer Club, the Low Country Association of Commodores, and the International Association of Cooking Schools.

He died on July 20, 2005, and is interred at St Francis by the Sea Catholic Church Columbarium on Hilton Head.