Renowned Long Island University Professor Dragos D. Kostich Dies

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Noted historian Dragos D. Kostich, a World War II flier for the Royal Yugoslav Air Force and escapee from a Nazi prison camp who later shared his life experiences with Long Island University students and the world at large, died on November 7, 2007, of pancreatic cancer at the age of 86. An esteemed professor emeritus of interdisciplinary studies, political science and international studies at Long Island University's Brooklyn, C.W. Post and Westchester Campuses, Dr. Kostich joined Long Island University in 1965 and retired in 2002.

"Our campus community is saddened by the loss of Dr. Kostich because he impacted so many people throughout his illustrious career," said Dr. Roger Goldstein, chairman of the Department of Political Science and International Studies at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in Brookville, New York. "He presented to our students a unique perspective on multinational society and was regarded for his interest and expertise in the United Nations system."

"To work with him on United Nations programs was to be enriched by his experience, his humor and his humanity," said Leila Doss, visiting professor of political science/international studies at the C.W. Post Campus and former assistant secretary-general of the United Nations. "As the poet Stephen Spender wrote of 'those who in their lives fought for life...he left the vivid air signed with his honor.' " Doss worked with Dr. Kostich for 25 years.

Joining Long Island University in 1965 at the Brooklyn Campus, Dr. Kostich founded and directed the Institute for the Study of International Organizations and the United Nations Graduate Advanced Certificate Program. Over the years, students from more than 90 countries have studied in this program, including mid- and upper-level U.N. officials and senior diplomats. "Dr. Kostich put an indelible stamp on Long Island University's graduate-level United Nations program, which remains unique in the country, said his successor, Brooklyn Campus Professor Lester Wilson, adding, thanks to his leadership, the program, to this day, attracts an extraordinary array of students and faculty members."

Dr. Kostich also taught at the University's Westchester Graduate Campus when it was located at Mercy College and at Fordham University. He was a professor of political science and international studies at the C.W. Post Campus from 1994 until he retired in 2002.
Prior to coming to America, in World War II, Dr. Kostich served in the Royal Yugoslav Air Force and after the Nazis overran his country, became an early member of the Resistance. Captured by the Gestapo and sentenced to death, he escaped from a prison camp in occupied Greece, rejoined the Resistance and served with allied missions that parachuted into the highlands of Greece and Albania. After evacuation to Italy, he became a part of the Yugoslav Military Mission; refusing to return to his country after the Communist takeover, he settled in Paris and graduated from the Institut d'tudes politiques. He immigrated to the United States in 1952.
Before joining the University, he was a broadcaster on Voice of America, and associate dean of the New School for Social Research in New York.

One of the founding members of the Academic Council on the United Nations System, he was a board member of the New York Chapter of the Society for International Development. An expert in the politics and history of Eastern Europe and the Balkans, his numerous articles and books covered East European and Balkan affairs. He spoke five languages and could read seven.
Dr. Kostich was a resident of North Tarrytown, New York, and is survived by his wife, Jeanne, a former conservator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, his daughter, Alexis Kostich, and a brother, George Kostich. Messages of condolence may be sent to The Kostich Family, 49 Willard Avenue, Pocantico Hills, North Tarrytown, New York 10151.

First picture: Dr. Kostich
Second picture: Staff Memorial Luncheon, UN Delegates Dining Room