Apr 10, 2015 2 min read

Cokeburg Mayor Bernard Luketich never thought he would be staring down a bronze version of himself.

But there it was, a statue of his likeness planted permanently inside the Croatian Fraternal Union home office, and it was a convincing doppelganger down to the last detail.

Luketich, 84, who served as national president of the CFU until he retired last year, was honored Wednesday for his “55 years of unparalleled leadership and service” to the organization during a ceremony at the Monroeville office.

The statue donned the same tasseled loafers and rings that Luketich always wears, and it also held a brac – the traditional Croatian instrument he plays.

“It was pretty amazing to see your dad as a bronze statue,” said his daughter, Marlene Luketich-Kochis. “They did a phenomenal job. The likeness and resemblance is amazing.”

More than 150 people attended the dedication ceremony, including the Croatian ambassador to the United States and several dignitaries who flew in from the small European country.

Luketich’s father, Ivan, emigrated from Croatia in 1903 and settled in Cokeburg, where he worked as a coal miner. Luketich stayed true to his roots and got involved in CFU at the early age of 16, when he was elected president of Cokeburg Lodge 354. He was elected to the national board in 1959 and became national president 14 years later.

He is currently the president of the Cokeburg Lodge and helped it grow to more than 2,000 members – making it nearly three times larger than the borough’s population. He also launched a humanitarian campaign in 1991 following the end of Croatia’s war with Serbia. The organization’s efforts have sponsored 1,500 orphans and disbursed about $23 million in goods and services to aid people living in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In addition, he helped promote Croatian history and traditions in the United States. Last year, he was granted the Charter of the Croatian, which is the nation’s highest honor. Earlier this week, he received a Congressional citation from U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy.

Luketich said he feels grateful for the recognition.

“A lot of people came out (Wednesday), and I think it’s a great honor,” he said. “I appreciate it, and I thank all of my board members for support.”