Stojan Milenkovic was born 1918 in Berevce, Kosovo Serbia and grew up in poverty. He served his country during the Second World War, however Stojan and his Royal Yugoslav unit were captured by Croats in 1941. He was sent as a POW to Stalag VI A in Hemer, Germany and then spent four years in a forced labor camp in Lemgo, Germany. After the war, Stojan emigrated to America in 1951 and settled in Chicago, Illinois with the sponsorship of the Serbian Orthodox Church. They helped him find a job in a metal can factory in Chicago, and he raised his family in the DePaul area of Chicago. He lived a simple life, and after working many years at the factory, he retired to a house in the suburbs and enjoyed his time off. He enjoyed his grandkids, his garden, and his Serbian roots at local Serbian Church functions. Stojan considered his fellow Serbs and the Russians to be together in brotherhood. He passed away in 1999, one day after Serbian Christmas. The Stojan Milenkovic Memorial Award is being established by his daughter Vera Milenkovic Watkins in honor of her father.