By Josip Bogovic
Giuliano Premus: Nearing his 93rd birthday, the vibrant Giuliano Premus represents, exhibits the best of health and longevity as it applies to human beings. The articles under the Health and Longevity at “Croatians Online” are meant to celebrate those who made it into this category, as well as give the reader a glimpse into those attributes that extend life for everyone. If you know that garlic and cayenne pepper contain blood thinning properties, that may be helpful to you. In Giuliano’s case he’s aware of those things that give him vitality and zest for life. That may include sex, gardening, his connection to place of birth Cres, Croatia and a mindful Mediterranean diet with self-control as its guiding principle. Personal and social relationships are also part of the longevity equation, as is singing for Mr. Premus.
Giuliano Premus was born on February 1932 in the village of Cunski on the Island of Cres to parents Giovanni and Antonija (Karcic). Giuliano’s dad came to the US in 1898, stayed until 1906, then returned to Cres. Giovanni returned to the US in 1913 and stayed until 1919, only to return to New York with his 3 sons in the early 1940’s. In 1946 Giuliano, 14 years old, and mom Antonija decided to set their sights on joining the rest of the family in New York. The journey was challenging as they set sail from Osor (Cres) to Rijeka, then Trieste that led to an immigrant camp called Cornoldi in Venice (spent 4 months there) and ended up in Milan, Italy. It was from there that his father applied for Giuliano’s brother Graciano (17) and Antonija to come to America. Graciano was abused by Tito’s army, made to walk such long distances that his shoes wore out and in turn his feet bled. It was this event that got Graciano sent home. The three arrived on January 8th, 1946, on the US ship “Marin Perch” which docked in Manhattan on Pier 50.
“Once we got off the ship 2.5 meters of snow awaited us in the streets of New York. A police officer my dad knew gave us a ride to our new home on West 47 Street (Hell’s Kitchen). We never saw snow in Cres and wanted to go back home. Our new living quarters were so small that two of my brothers went to live with friends from the island Unije. Luckly in 1946, 3 of my older brothers got married. As a 14-year-old I played soccer, stickball and basketball in the 10th Avenue park,” said the well-spoken gentleman.
In 1951 Giuliano’s dad died and he, mom and brother Graciano moved to Astoria, New York. Giuliano quit his 2nd year of high school so as to provide for his remaining family. In 1952 Giuliano joined the US Army. The Korean War draft lasted from 1950 to 1954.
“I told my mom that if they send me to Korea I’m heading to Cres. Luckily, I was sent to Mannheim Germany, where I was a part of the army’s communication group. We used the Morse Code and verbal communication in our work. After the army experience, I went to work for a soda company, a job that lasted one year. I was fortunate to go and listen to lectures at the Italian Embassy. It was there that the president of Fairleigh Dickenson University gave a lecture and that encouraged me to go to college at FDU. I started going to night school at FDU and studied Electronic Engineering. I moved to New Jersey with my brother Antonio since my new school was close to his home. In 1963 I worked for 3 companies including a deep ocean instrumentation application company. I designed part of an instrument that was able to read 400 meters below sea level. I helped design an interface to input and extract data from an IBM computer. I helped a doctor monitor/measure oxygen consumption in fish and humans in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Because I had to work, I graduated FDU in 1969. I was subsequently contacted by Dr. Shoemaker, a famous critical care medicine researcher/physician. He was working at the Elmhurst Hospital (Queens), Veterans Hospital (Bronx) and Mount Sinai in Manhattan. He wanted me to connect computers in those places, via telephone lines to those at Mount Sinai. I was hired by Dr. Cris Bryant Brown, an English critical care physician to help with dog research, as it related to critical care medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center. I remained at Mount Sinai and worked under a famous general surgeon Dr. Arthur Aufses doing critical care research and medical instrumentation until I retired in 2002,” said the accomplished, friendly gentleman.
One can find the name Giuliano Premus on many critical care journal publications. Giuliano met Lorraine, a talented neurology researcher at Mount Sinai in 1992 and the couple married in 2015.
Mr. Premus, why do you believe you continue to be engaging and vibrant into your 90’s? “I was always active in one form or another. As a young man on Cres I did farm work and fishing. It was this history of having love for the land that feeds us, which motivated me to have a garden, early on in my life. I designed my garden when I purchased my first home and still have one today, we are talking 60 plus years. I also had chickens and plenty of eggs. I enjoyed being a soccer coach and referee. I was a referee for 32 years in the Cosmopolitan League. I started refereeing at the age of 44. I love socializing and I’m happy in my marriage. Sex was and is very important to me. The vitality it brings forth is specific to itself and all powerful. I don’t plan on giving it up for I have a very young wife (he pauses and smiles). My diet has always consisted mostly of fruit, vegetables and fish. I love being in Cunski for months at a time. I was always connected to this island, its people and would visit every year with a few exceptions. One day and hopefully not soon I want to be buried with my relatives/ancestors on Cres,” said the clear thinking emotionally connected to the beauty of life gentleman.
In July of 2021 Giuliano was injured by taking Covid vaccine. He did not want to take it, but the US required Covid vaccination for those that traveled abroad. “After I took the 2nd shot, I became gravely ill. I developed inflammation of the lungs and heart. My heart ejection fraction went from 56 to 40 to 26. I had a fever for 3 months and coughing accompanied it. The doctors said I was likely to die. If it were not for my wife Lorraine, having a medical background and the enthusiasm to take care of me, I would likely not be here today. So, you see it is important to be loved and to love in return. I’m very fortunate to have Lorraine in my life, she helps me in many ways including engaging in life’s activities which includes going to the gym. She enjoys when I sing for her or chorus with friends. Many of my friends and relatives return to Cunski and surrounding villages from faraway lands including Australia. It’s great to see them, there’s always lots of catching up to do. In 2019 we gave my family home in Cunski a facelift, Vila Tonica looks new now. I was always connected to the Adriatic Sea which I love to see and swim in. It has a specific healing quality, and I fondly gaze at it from my window.”
Giuliano Premus lives tradition the one that has worked for generations before him. Having a work ethic, sense of community, family, being active and expressing joy through song and or kisses, enjoying food one has grown, being connected to place of birth, to mother, father, sister, brother. Giuliano has demonstrated through action that all the attributes above have always grounded him and made him better.
There is also one attribute that goes well with tradition and a thoughtful heart that I must mention. Upon my graduation from college, I interviewed for a job with Giuliano at Mount Sinai. He asked me where I was from, and I said from the island of Krk. Though there were many more qualified interviewees, Giuliano chose me because of our similar backgrounds. He went on to be my boss for many years and all I can say is that I was very lucky to have met him. He pronounced upon me many extra merciful moments which others would likely not have. At one point he said to me “you know the raise they want to give me, well I want you to have it, I don’t really need it as much as you do.” For Giuliano Premus all things, people and places are connected and that gives life a particular kind of spice without which longevity and vital health cannot be fully attained.
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