Nancy Utovac

Location of Interview
Collection Name

Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project

Description

The Port of Los Angeles celebrated its Centennial on December 9, 2007.  As part of the Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project, these interviews feature various members of the Los Angeles Harbor Area community who were interviewed in 2007 to document different eras in Port history.

Interviewer
Transcribers

National Capital Contracting

Audio
Transcript
Abstract

Nancy Utovac was interviewed for the Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project. Born in Harbor City, California, in 1958, Utovac grew up in the San Pedro area during the 1950s and 1960s. She recounts early memories of days spent at Cabrillo Beach and the tightly-knit, less populated community, where many residents were related or worked in harbor-related industries such as fishing and longshoring. The interview covers Utovac’s family background, particularly focusing on her father, a hardworking longshoreman. Following his death in 1978, Utovac took over his position as a longshoreman, a rare role for women at the time. She describes her introduction to the profession, recalling the story of how she won her father’s job after arm-wrestling with her sisters. She began her longshore career in a male-dominated industry with only a handful of women and discusses the challenges and experiences of being one of the first women on the waterfront. Utovac reflects on her early jobs, including driving cars off ships and unloading banana crates, which left her bruised but determined. She explains the dangers of longshore work, including working with large, heavy materials like steel beams. She also discusses the evolution of the profession, transitioning from manual labor to more clerical roles in cargo tracking and the impact of containerization on the industry. Throughout the interview, Utovac highlights the camaraderie she developed with male colleagues and the respect she earned despite the initial resistance to women in the field. She also shares personal anecdotes, including a humorous incident when she and her colleagues inadvertently remained on a cruise ship after it set sail.


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