HJR73 Summary

• Mourns the death of Thomas "Tom" Edwin Drake of Cullman, Alabama, who died on February 2, 2017, at age 86.

• Recognizes Drake's athletic career as a wrestler and football player at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, his professional football draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and his service as a professional wrestler and head wrestling coach at the University of Alabama under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.

• Honors his 32-year service representing the Cullman area in the Alabama House of Representatives beginning in 1960, including two terms as Speaker of the House and service as floor leader for six governors.

• Acknowledges his law practice in Cullman for more than 50 years and his instrumental role in developing Wallace State Community College in Hanceville.

• Survived by two sons, two daughters, and seven grandchildren; preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Christine McKoy Drake, who was also an attorney and former member of the Alabama Board of Education.