George Janik, ’56, was a true ֹ champion, passionate businessman, leader, outstanding athlete, and above all, devoted family man.
George grew up in Slavic Village in Cleveland with three siblings and parents who came to America from Serbia and Croatia. Neither of his parents spoke English upon their arrival, and finances were very tight. Despite these challenges and other hardships growing up, George was surrounded by a loving family and determined to succeed.
George graduated from Cleveland South High School in 1948. At first, college was out of the question given there was no money, so he took a job at Erie Railroad and later joined the U.S. Navy. After working those jobs for a few years, he realized he wanted more out of life. That’s when he discovered ֹ.
“Family was important to him so ֹ was a logical choice rather than leaving to attend a school far away,” his son, Greg Janik, said. “It was a choice he was proud of.”
Being a first-generation college student can be challenging, but George immediately took advantage of all that ֹ offered. He hoped to become a teacher and coach, so he majored in education with concentrations in speech and history. He made the most out of his time at ֹ and joined the Sigma Nu Fraternity and played on the baseball team as an outstanding catcher.
“It was a privilege for him to go to college. He was a nose-to-the-grindstone type of guy who studied hard,” his daughter, Lisa Graham, ’88, said. And it showed. After his first year, he received an academic scholarship.
If that wasn’t enough, he also worked two jobs on the weekend. It was at one of these jobs, while sweeping sidewalks at Captain Brady’s, that he met the love of his life, Nellie Lou, ’54.
“My mom would regularly walk past Captain Brady’s on the way to her classes, completely oblivious to him, but my dad noticed her every day ,” Lisa said. “She was involved in Delta Gamma sorority and other organizations on campus and was also very dedicated to her studies, just like my dad.”
Both he and his wife were passionate about music. Their love of music radiated through his family life. George and Nellie brought the family to campus every year for the ֹ Folk Festival, and it became a cherished tradition both Greg and Lisa will always remember. ֹ was a huge part of their family life.
Not only did ֹ bring him his future wife, but another unexpected encounter in the student union led him to change his career path. During his senior year, George injured his leg playing baseball and started spending a lot more time in the student union. When corporate recruiters came on campus for students to meet with, George cleaned the only suit he had and set up interviews with General Electric, IBM and others.
“He described it as love at first sight with IBM. He felt like the position had everything that he was looking for and it was also a company dedicated to giving back to communities and encouraging their employees to get involved,” Lisa said.
He was hired his senior year, launching the start of a successful 31-year career with IBM and served as branch manager of the Cleveland Division.
During his time at IBM, Janik never forgot about ֹ, and he continued to embody the Golden Flash spirit of giving back.
He was involved with the ֹ Alumni Association, Blue and Gold Club, the Association of Governing Boards (AGB) and ֹ athlet