INFORMATION FROM FAMILY SEARCH WEBSITE:

Brief Life History of George Nick

When George Nick Zupko was born on 5 October 1924, in Aliquippa, Beaver, Pennsylvania, United States, his father, George Zupko, was 28 and his mother, Anna Sember, was 23. He lived in East Chicago, North Township, Lake, Indiana, United States in 1930. He died on 5 June 2006, in Morton Grove, Cook, Illinois, United States, at the age of 81.

This information was obtained from: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/about/GV2T-XRC.

ARTICLE FOM THE POST-TRIBUNE (OWNED BY THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE)

Here's an article about school nicknames that mentions George Zupko as the "inventor" of the Hobart Brickies mascot, Yohan Petrovich, originally published: February 21, 2021 at 8:55 a.m.: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2021/02/21/column-a-good-nickname-stands-the-test-of-time-valparaiso-university-can-take-a-cue-from-several-northwest-indiana-high-schools/.

ARTICLE FROM THE HOBART HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT:

WHAT IS A BRICKIE?
The Hobart Brickies own one of the most unique team names across the nation.  The "Brickies" were named after the local brickyards located in Hobart that at the time employed a number of people in Hobart and Northwest Indiana. 

Yohan, our Brickie Mascot
"The Historymascot of Yohan"

Yohan, the school's mascot, was named after a fictional student whose name appeared on a study hall list for days.  His official name was Yohan Petrovich.  He was a figment of George Zupko's imagination and was developed in 1942.  Yohan's physique was developed by building bricks from the years he spent in the brickyards of Hobart.   

This article was obtained from: https://in01000440.schoolwires.net/Page/1887.

HOBART HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT HANDBOOK:

Here's a link to the current HHS Student Handbook, which mentions George Zupko on Page 2: https://www.hobart.k12.in.us/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=7950&dataid=16184&FileName=HS%20Handbook%2024-25%20Final%20for%20Web.pdf.