George Požega was born Juraj Požega on April 12, 1883, in Bosiljevo, Karlovac County, Croatia, son of farmers Josip and Kata Požega. Raised in the Dinaric Alps' rural embrace, he learned resilience amid economic hardships driving emigration.

At 24, Juraj sailed from Southampton on the SS Saint Louis, arriving June 8, 1907, at Ellis Island as a farmer bound for McKeesport, Pennsylvania, joining in-law Josip Medved. He shifted to Williamsburg's ganister quarries for steel linings. Returning ~1912, Juraj married Tereza Popovčak from Ogulin, fathering Katie (~1908). In 1913, they re-emigrated on the RMS Carmania , Americanizing to George and Grace Pozgar.

Settling in Claysburg by 1914, George toiled at Standard Refractories, earning amid dust and danger. The 1920 Census shows him, 37, as a quarryman in Greenfield Township with Grace (29), Katie (12), Martin (3), and Stephen (infant). By 1930, with 12 surviving children, his $1,800 wage sustained a $3,000 home, blending Croatian feasts with American holidays.

George's labor built Claysburg's industry, earning a 2017 Hall of Fame induction. Retiring in the 1940s, he died on January 16, 1954, at 70 from heart issues. Buried in Newry Cemetery, his legacy endures in descendants honoring Bosiljevo's spirit.