The Drost family, generous supporters
For two generations, the Drost family - John and Doris, and their son George - have helped UCAN "give youth a refuge and a future." The Drosts' dedication to UCAN grows out of their own personal integrity and courage in the face of horrific experiences in Czechoslovakia during World War II and the communist takeover.
In the 1930s, as a young lawyer in Czechoslovakia, John Drost represented the interests of many Jewish clients who had either fled or been taken away to concentration camps after the Nazi occupation. Because of his efforts, John was arrested and jailed, and then ordered to report to a labor camp in 1944 - which was effectively a death sentence.
Eluding Gestapo agents, he survived to the war's end only to be targeted by the Communists in 1948 for trial as a bourgeois traitor after the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia. With no defense in sight (the legal system had been dismantled), John and Doris agreed that he must escape. He took a train to Austria carrying with him only his typewriter and law degree.
Guided by the North Star, Doris later fled at night through pitch-dark forests with her four year old son Rudy in tow. As he was too young to undergo the grueling journey, 14-month-old George was left behind in Czechoslovakia in the care of his grandmother. Despite tightening border controls and decreasing visa opportunities, his grieving parents never stopped trying to bring George out. It took two years and many failed attempts before they were finally able to reunite their family.
Together at last, the family was thrilled to have a tiny apartment and a steady income from John's work helping to settle refugees for the Church World Service Organization. The Drosts emigrated to Chicago in 1950, where John became Church Administrator for St. Pauls United Church of Christ. Later, encouraged and supported by Church members, he attended John Marshall Law School at night, receiving his law degree in 1961.
It was through St. Pauls Church that John was first introduced to UCAN. Working to reunite and keep families intact was a natural fit for John after his own family's experience. He once explained, "When we came to this country - the best country in the world, where we could better ourselves - we wanted to give something back. This was always in the back of my mind. We are here in a country that gave us a beautiful life and possibilities, so of course we had to reciprocate."
Reciprocate he did. Starting in 1964, John joined and then later led UCAN's Governing Board until he stepped down in 1987. His son George was his successor until his own retirement in 2001. Today, George continues his support of UCAN, serving as a Life Trustee.
Since 1964, through countless volunteer hours, advocacy efforts and generous financial support, the Drost family has been helping UCAN to fulfill its mission to build strong youth and families through compassionate healing, education and empowerment. UCAN sincerely thanks the Drost family for all of its efforts on the organization's behalf, for without supporters such as the Drosts, UCAN could not realize its vision.
