[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 26, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S3615]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO JOHN SQUIRE DRENDEL

 Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize the 
100th birthday of my dear friend John Squire Drendel. John dedicated 
his life to advocating on behalf of his clients and serving the people 
of Nevada. For 70 years, John shaped Nevada's legal community, and I am 
proud to join his family and friends in celebrating this significant 
milestone.
  On August 4, 1923, John was born in Carson Valley, NV, a beautiful 
rural community just south of Carson City. In the midst of the Great 
Depression, John left home to work on a nearby ranch and complete his 
studies at Douglas County High School.
  During his first semester at the University of Notre Dame in the fall 
of 1941, the bombing of Pearl Harbor altered the trajectory of his 
life. John served in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant and as a commander 
of a landing craft tank in the Pacific Islands of Saipan, Iwo Jima, and 
Okinawa.
  Following the end of World War II, John took advantage of the 
education benefits provided in the G.I. Bill to complete his 
undergraduate education and attend law school at the University of 
Colorado. After obtaining his law degree, John returned home to Nevada 
with his wife Marilyn to raise their four children and work as a Nevada 
highway patrolman.
  In 1950, John passed the Nevada Bar Exam and later partnered with 
William O. Bradley to form Bradley & Drendel, a premier personal injury 
firm in northern Nevada. In 1957, in order to make their services more 
accessible to their clients, the two selected a converted garage in 
Reno, NV, to serve as their firm's office. By 1970, John had solidified 
his reputation by representing a diesel mechanic from Ely, NV, who 
suffered from a debilitating injury while at work. John won the highest 
verdict awarded to a single plaintiff in the U.S. at that point in 
time, providing financial security for the mechanic and his family. 
This firm continues to serve the community with a third generation of 
attorneys. Currently, John's son Thomas is of counsel to the firm.
  John is deeply respected by his peers and remains active in Nevada's 
legal community as a founding member and former president of the Nevada 
Trial Lawyers Association and the Washoe County Bar Association. John 
has been honored with countless accolades throughout the duration of 
his career, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Nevada 
Trial Lawyers Association in 2001.
  The list of John's contributions to the legal community and Nevada 
are never-ending. John strived for excellence throughout his career and 
has proven himself a great Nevadan. His professional accomplishments 
are surpassed only by the wonderful family and community he has built 
in the Silver State. I know John is happy to be spending his retirement 
with his children Mary, John, Ann, and Thomas; their grandchildren 
Sarah, Andrew, Anne, Clara, Nathaniel, Mary, and Matthew; and their 
four great-grandchildren. I am incredibly pleased to honor this 
momentous event in his life and wish him joy in the years to 
come.

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