James Wilson DRAPER

DRAPER, James Wilson

James Wilson Draper died March 30, 2014, at the age of 87 in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. He was born in Detroit on December 26, 1926, the son of Kenneth Draper (a property developer) and Dorothy Wilson Draper. Mr. Draper's parents were longtime Detroiters, having descended from pioneer Detroit families of the eighteenth century. Mr. Draper was the direct descendant of James "The Puritan" Draper, who emigrated from the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, to Roxbury, Massachusetts, in 1646. Mr. Draper attended schools in Detroit and in Ridgetown, Ontario, where he lived for several years during the 1930s. He served in the US Navy during World War II. He was stationed in the Pacific and was honorably discharged in 1946 with the rank of electrician's mate, first class. He attended the University of Michigan (BA, 1949) and the University of Michigan Law School (LLB, JD, 1951). He joined the law firm Dykema, Jones, and Wheat (now Dykema Gossett) in Detroit in 1951, when the firm numbered less than a dozen members. Today the firm is comprised of hundreds of attorneys nationwide. In 1953, he married Alice Patricia ("Pat") Sullivan, of Detroit, the daughter of Hugh A. Sullivan, MD, and Alice Solon Sullivan. He was introduced to his wife by his future brother-in-law and legal colleague, Brian Sullivan. Mr. Draper was made partner at Dykema in 1961. He continued to work at Dykema until his retirement in 1998. In his legal career, he distinguished himself as an expert in real-estate law, especially in the areas of multi-family housing; property syndication; and industrial and commercial construction. At Dykema he was chairman of the Practice Development Committee and chairman of the Real Estate Section. He served as general counsel to the Michigan Savings and Loan Association during the 1970s. He was elected to membership (as a charter member) in the American College of Real Estate Lawyers in 1980. He served as chair of the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan and as chair of the Michigan Real Estate Standards Board for a period of ten years. He was well known in the legal community for pro bono work, often on behalf of indigent parties, and for the excellence of his legal writing. Mr. Draper had a variety of real-estate and business interests in Detroit and in Michigan, including ownership of the Hotel St. Regis, Detroit, during the 1970s. He was an active supporter of the Boy Scouts of America and was awarded the organization's highest honor, the "Silver Beaver," in 1971. He was a member of numerous groups and clubs, including Country Club of Detroit, Detroit Club, Detroit Boat Club, Indian River Country Club, Racquet Club of Detroit, and the Senior Men's Club of Grosse Pointe. He was an enthusiastic member of the Grosse Pointe Geezers and regularly attended their lunches during his last years. Mr. Draper enjoyed golf, travel, fine wine, family events, and jigsaw puzzles. He spent winters in Stuart, Florida, where he and his wife kept a home for over thirty years. He was the loving father of three daughters and one son: Catherine Ann Draper, of Pelham, New York (Michael Clain); Julie Draper Fazekas, of Ann Arbor, Michigan (Frank Fazekas); Martha Alice Draper, of Jupiter, Florida (Douglas Grossman); and James Patrick Draper, of Detroit, Michigan. He was the devoted grandfather of four grandchildren: Elizabeth Clain, David Clain, Jesse Clain, and Frank Fazekas III. He was predeceased by his wife of 60 years in 2013. Two sisters-Patricia Draper Holley Fireman and Marjorie Draper-predeceased him. Interment is at Roseland Park Cemetery, Berkley, Michigan. Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army or to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen of Detroit.

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