Russell Charles Drago, a Malibu pediatrician and active member in the community, died Feb. 15. He was 71.
Drago was a graduate of John Carrol College in Ohio and of Loyola Medical School in Chicago. In 1959, he met Carol Vogel, a nurse at Queen of Angels Hospital, where he was completing an internship. The couple married in 1960 and had four children.
Drago worked in the Air Force and served as a pediatrician at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines from 1961 until 1963. During that time, Drago and his wife traveled throughout Japan and Asia.
Drago moved to Malibu in 1967 with his wife and children after visiting family members in the area for years. He became heavily involved in community affairs and played an instrumental role in controlling growth in Zuma Canyon, where he had resided for years.
In 1999, Drago retired from his practice as a pediatrician at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in West Los Angeles, where he had practiced for 30 years. Drago served as a clinical professor at UCLA Medical School and was active in the Los Angeles County Medical Association, where he was a lobbyist and advocate for health care reform.
Drago is survived by his wife, Carol; daughters, Mary and Janet, and sons, Michael and Paul. A funeral mass will take place on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Malibu Church, located at 3625 Winter Canyon Road. The mass will be followed by internment at Holy Cross Cemetery, located at 5835 Slauson Ave. in Culver City. A reception will take place at 2 p.m. at the family home, located at 6152 Bonsall Drive.