Steven (Svetozar) Maravich was born in St. Louis on April 10, 1907, the son of Nikola Maravich, an early Serbian immigrant who came to St. Louis in the 1890s. Steven Maravich graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1928 and attended Saint Louis University in 1929 as a pre-med student until a reversal of family finances forced him to leave college after his first year. In 1934, he entered the parking lot business as owner of Stevens Auto Parks. At the peak of his career, he owned nearly 30 lots in downtown St. Louis. In 1937, he married Helen (Jelena) Price of Chicago. During World War II, Maravich served three years with the Air Corps and Military Intelligence Division of the Army, in which he investigated undercover Communist activities in Europe. Following the war, Maravich was elected President of the Serbian Church of St. Louis. In 1948, he was made Vice President of the Serbian Diocese of the United States and Canada, a position he held until 1980. While serving in this capacity, he was selected by Bishop Dionisije as the bishop's personal representative to the World Church Service and Serbian National Defense Council. In this position, it was Maravich’s responsibility to clear all Serbian immigrants prior to their coming to the United States. In all, Maravich assisted in bringing 16,000 Serbian immigrants to this country. In the 1950s, Maravich received the St. Joakim Medal from his Grace Bishop Dionisije, the highest honor ever bestowed on a lay person. In 1986, his Eminence Metropolitan Iriney awarded Maravich the first Gracanica Medal. Maravich was well-known throughout the Serbian community and beyond as a generous philanthropist. He held office in many organizations, including Serbian Brothers Help, Bratska Sloga Lodge #172, and the St. Louis Parking Association, and was an active member of many more church, fraternal, and civic organizations. Steven Maravich died in St. Louis January 29, 1992.