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Article: Drake Hotel banquet chief took care of rich, famous
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- March 5, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright (c) 2009 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc. (Hide copyright information)
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MOMO 'MIKE' DURDIC - 1939-2009
Drake Hotel banquet captain Momo "Mike" Durdic met scores of famous people, but his favorites were Princess Diana, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin and President Ronald Reagan.
All three showed warmth and humility that the veteran hotel man always remembered, according to his family.
"He loved to be of assistance," said his wife, Silvana. "He had that European upbringing. He was a gentleman."
Mr. Durdic, 69, a refugee from communist Yugoslavia, died of stomach cancer Feb. 8 in his Oakbrook Terrace home.
"Cardinal Bernardin was a very humble man," Mr. Durdic's wife said. "Mike spoke Italian and so did the cardinal. I am from the north part of Italy and so was ...