An Estate Giving Tribute

The Legacy of a High School Alumnus

Bernard Joseph Olsavick of the Josephinum High School Class of 1951 died August 6, 2021, at age 83. His estate plan included a very generous provision for his alma mater, for which we are deeply grateful. Mr. Olsavik’s legacy is a testament to what his years at the Josephinum meant to him, and how that time remained meaningful throughout his life.

Known affectionately as “Bernie,” our alumnus was born in Monessen, a small town in western Pennsylvania. The name Olsavik speaks to his heritage—Bernie’s grandfather had emigrated to the United States from present-day Slovakia; his mother was of Russian lineage.

After graduating from the Josephinum High School in 1951, Bernie studied briefly at Saint Vincent’s College in Latrobe, PA, then headed west to study at Healds Engineering College in San Francisco. He graduated in 1960 and joined the Fred J. Early Company construction firm in San Francisco.

Bernie was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1962 and served the two-year active duty obligation. He joined the Robert McKee company in Los Angeles for a short time, then accepted an offer to work in the estimating department of Turner Construction Company at its newly-established Los Angeles office.

In 1967, Bernie took a leave from Turner to accept a one-year civilian engineering assignment in Vietnam. He then resumed his career with Turner at its offices in San Francisco, Hong Kong, and New York. Bernie retired in 1995 and shortly afterwards returned to his childhood home of Pittsburgh where he lived his remaining years.