It is with great sadness that we write to inform you that one of our most distinguished friends and members of the Serbian Diaspora Dr. Alex Dragnich passed away last Monday, August 10th in his retirement community in Bowie, MD.

Professor Dragnich was a professor of political science, emeritus, at Vanderbilt University and a respected authority in Slavic studies. He was a prolific writer. He was a friend of the Serbian Unity Congress since its inception and collaborated with us on numerous occasions in our mutual efforts to inform the public more objectively about the events and background of the wars in the 90s.

During his lifetime Professor Dragnich distinguished himself at multiple prominent institutions holding leading positions and being honored with a long list of awards for his contributions. In addition to Vanderbilt University he held the Chester Nimitz Chair at the Naval War College, was a research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, a Distinguished Lecturer at Washington & Lee University, and taught at Western Reserve University.

During World War II he served as a foreign affairs analyst for the Department of Justice and the Office of Strategic Services. From 1947 to 1950 he joined the Foreign Service and served as Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. He also served as a consultant to the Defense Department.

Professor Dragnich graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1938, and received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 1945.

Throughout his career and until this year he continued to research and publish. Please see the list below for some of his writings. During the last two decades he produced much work in his efforts to change the prevailing misimpressions about Yugoslavia and Serbia in the United States. In addition to his books, he was invited as a world-recognized expert on the former Yugoslavia to contribute his comments on numerous news and political commentary programs and for the written media. In 2002 he received the “Yugoslav Star, First Class” from the Serbian Government for these contributions.

Professor Dragnich’s wife, Adele Jonas Dragnich, died in 2000. He is survived by his son George Dragnich an executive director of the International Labor Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, daughter Alix Lombardo of New York City and three grandchildren. Son Paul Dragnich predeceased him.

Condolences may be sent to Alix Lombardo, 1172 Park Ave., Apt. 8A, New York, NY 10128.

For more on Professor Dragnich please see the Vanderbilt University obituary.

He will long be remembered by all of us.

Vjecnaja Pamjat!