At that time, Ivan had a photography studio in Zeigler, Illinois, and he decided after being established for a few years to bring his family over to America.
Because Zeigler, a small coal mining town in southern Illinois offered little or no opportunities for further art studies, Radulović left for St. Louis, Missouri in 1929., with his younger sister Krstinja.
Then Radulović began to attend art school at Washington University in St. Louis as a part-time student.
He studied under several prominent professors, namely Tanasko Milovich, a renowned St. Louis artist and fellow Serb.
When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, Radulović enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving with distinction for four years as United States War Department artist[3][4] and intelligence monitor for the Allied Armies of North Africa, Italy and Yugoslavia.