State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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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.

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