[ Search ] [ PDF text ] [ Legislation ]
[ Home ] [ Back ] [ Bottom ]
92_SR0315
LRB9215608BHbh
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to
3 express their sincere condolences to the family and friends
4 of John Anton Drost of Arlington Heights, who recently passed
5 away; and
6 WHEREAS, Mr. Drost was born April 9, 1909 in Brno, Czech
7 Republic; he graduated from the Masaryk University Law
8 Facility in 1932 and served in the Czechoslovakian Army as a
9 Lieutenant Judge in the Judge Advocate General's Department;
10 he also served in the 1938 mobilization of the Czech Army;
11 and
12 WHEREAS, Mr. Drost was a partner in the law firm of Dr.
13 Alois Prazak, a member of the Czech government in exile in
14 London; his legal work involved representing Jewish clients
15 and their interests; this work caused him to be arrested and
16 jailed, and when ordered to report to a labor camp in late
17 1944, he eluded Gestapo agents and went underground until the
18 war was over; and
19 WHEREAS, Mr. Drost returned to his law practice after the
20 war and was pursued by the Communists after the 1948 coup
21 d'etat because of his involvement with Dr. Prazak and the
22 firm's support of capitalist clients; again, Mr. Drost
23 escaped, this time to Austria, and worked for the Church
24 World Organization to help place refugees in Western
25 countries; and
26 WHEREAS, Mr. Drost reunited with his wife, Doris Matela,
27 whom he had married in 1940, and they immigrated to the
28 United States; Mr. Drost worked as a church administrator at
29 St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Chicago, and at the
30 urging of various church members, attended night classes at
31 John Marshall Law School of Chicago and graduated in 1961;
32 and
-2- LRB9215608BHbh
1 WHEREAS, Mr. Drost began a law partnership with Alan
2 Schmidt and concentrated on estate law, including
3 international probate law; he became the attorney for the
4 Austrian Consulate General in Chicago and also did work for
5 the German Consulate General in Chicago; in 1974, the
6 Austrian government awarded Mr. Drost the Golden Badge of
7 Honor; and
8 WHEREAS, Mr. Drost, in addition to his legal work, served
9 on several boards, being most active with Uhlich Children's
10 Home, where he served as president and was a Life Trustee;
11 beginning in 1993, Mr. Drost participated and helped sponsor
12 a continuing Legal Education Exchange Program with John
13 Marshall Law School and Masaryk University; and
14 WHEREAS, Mr. Drost will be remembered by his family and
15 friends, especially his wife, Doris; his sons, Rudy (Lynn)
16 and George (Beth); his grandchildren, James (Robin) Drost,
17 Carolyn (Robert) Burk, Julie (William) Drost-Hibler, Michael
18 (Kaitrin) Drost and Charles Drost; and his four
19 great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
20 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SECOND GENERAL
21 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
22 all those who knew him, the death of John Anton Drost of
23 Arlington Heights; and be it further
24 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be sent
25 to the family of John Anton Drost.