Vincent Thomas Bridge,
San Pedro, California
TOMASEVICH-THOMAS, VINCENT State
Legislature: One of
the most monumental constructions in California beside the famous Golden Gate
Bridge in San Francisco, is The Vincent Thomas Bridge, the suspension bridge in
San Pedro. The bridge is about 2 kilometers long. Since 1940, it connects San
Pedro - the harbor of Los Angeles - with city and harbor of Long Beach. Across Terminal Island it leads to big
industrial suburbs of Wilmington and to two highways, Harbor and Long Beach
Freeway. Before the bridge was built in 1940, the only connection to this
directions was the ferry line across the harbor bay or other roundabout routs.
The bridge was named in honor of assemblyman Vincent Thomas, the state deputy
of San Pedro County, who was the most
committed proponent in the bridge
construction.
Thomas
parents (father Vicko Thomas - Tomasevich and mother born in Bobovisca, Island
Brac, Dalmatia, Croatia) came to America in 1903. They had eight children, and
Vincent was their third child born in Biloxi, Mississippi. In Biloxi still live a considerable Croatian
population. In 1918 Thomas the family moved to San Pedro. Shortly after that,
the father died of Spanish flu. Young
Vincent was only ten years old but he was already showing different gifts and
talents. Beside going to school, he
earned money as a newsboy. He was also selling to sportsmen his home
made massage ointment called "snake's oil". Still a student, he was
earning as a boxer about 2,500 dollars per fight. Upon finishing the high
school he graduated political science at the University in Santa Clara. After
that he also graduated law at the Loyola University. He did not open his own
practice, but found a job in the fish factory "French Sardine". The
factory was owned by Martin J.
Bogdanovich from the Island of Vis. This big plant is still operating under the
name of "Star Kist Tuna". While with the factory, Vincent Thomas was
encouraged to engage himself in politics. He won at the elections for the
California State deputy of San Pedro and
became very popular and successful. Therefore he held this position for
38 years. He was reelected nineteen times in a row, more than any other
politician before. Since 1922, the construction project of underwater tunnel
between industrial suburb and harbor of
Los Angeles has been considered. Due to Vincent Thomas efforts, it was finally
decided to build a bridge instead of a tunnel. On May 28, 1960, the Governor of
California Edmund G. Brown opened the construction site. The construction of
the huge bridge hanging over 120 meters above the sea had begun. The
construction work was completed in just three years and the bridge was opened
on September 28, 1963. One of the guests of the ceremony there was Wiliam J.
Jurkovich, the chief architect of the
bridge construction project who is also of Croatian origin. (Eterovich, A.
2003)