Following a period of declining health, Alex Dragnich died of pneumonia on August 10, 2009, at the age of 97. His mind remained sharp and his pen vigorous until almost his death.
He was especially notable for having, in effect, two careers. The first: teacher and scholar. The second, after retiring: scholar and commentator on public affairs. Each of these careers spanned 30 years. He published more after he had retired than he had before retiring, six of his eleven books, for example. During his second career, he not only wrote books, but also authored journal and op-ed articles, as well as letters to the editor. He participated frequently in Washington, D.C., policy seminars and appeared on TV programs.
Dragnich's life was the classic American success story. He was the son of Serbian immigrants. Difficult as it is to believe, he really did grow up in a log cabin in the Pacific Northwest. He didn't start school until he was nine, following a visit from the truant officer, who explained to his parents about compulsory education. He eventually graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Washington and earned a Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley.
During World War II he served as a social science analyst for the Department of Justice and the Office of Strategic Services. After teaching at Case Western Reserve, he became Cultural Attache and Public Affairs Officer at the American Embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, from 1947 to 1950. This post shaped his entire career.
The chancellor of Vanderbilt University, Harvie Branscombe, on a mission for the U.S. government, met Dragnich in Belgrade. He was so impressed that he offered him an appointment as associate professor, should he decide to leave government service. Two years later, Dragnich went to Vanderbilt, teaching there from 1950 to 1978.
Branscombe sought advice from Dragnich on recruiting a chair who could build a reputable political science department. Avery Leiserson was brought from the University of Chicago to accomplish this mission. During more than a decade as chair, Leiserson worked closely with Dragnich. When he retired as chair, Dragnich took over from 1964 to 1969. The two of them built a department of note. In 1970 Dragnich received the Thomas Jefferson Award for distinguished service to Vanderbilt.
This was just one of many awards and honors. He was Chester Nimitz Professor at the U.S. Naval War College in 1959–60, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution in 1978–81, and a distinguished lecturer at Washington and Lee University in 1982. In 2002 he received the Yugoslav Star, First Class, medal from the president of Yugoslavia in recognition of his efforts to enhance Serbia's image in the United States. He served as president of the Southern Political Science Association and as vice president of the American Political Science Association.
He did not court controversy, but wasn't afraid to go against the flow. His first book, Tito's Promise Land: Yugoslavia (1954), was unfashionable. Many students of international affairs had come to view Tito as leader of a “third world” grouping, bridging the cold war chasm between the United States and the Soviet Union. Dragnich, however, understood fully the oppressive nature of the Tito regime, having himself lived under surveillance during his years in Yugoslavia. He published his final book, Serbia Through the Ages (2004) at age 92.
His comparative politics textbook, Major European Governments, was widely adopted, going through nine editions over more than a third of a century. His considerateness is attested to by the harmonious relations with Jorgen Rasmussen and Joel Moses, who became coauthors in the later editions.
In his personal relations he was mild and unassuming, leading by example, rather than by command. Nonetheless, he was fervent in support of his basic values.
He was predeceased by his wife and one son and survived by a son, a daughter, and three grandchildren. He took great pleasure in his family. Clichés, by definition, are overused. They sometimes provide, however, the most apt assessment. Alex Dragnich was, indeed, a gentleman of the old school.
