DVORAK, Otakar of Prague, Czech Republic, formerly of Belmont and Watertown, passed away August 16 in the Czech Republic. He is survived by his wife Maya Lukas of Prague, CZ; son Daniel Dvorak of Watertown, MA; son Patrik Dvorak of Prague, CZ; and granddaughters, Aneta and Albeta Dvorak, of Prague, CZ.

Otakar had a long and distinguished career as an architect and will be remembered with great respect by many colleagues and friends. After graduating from the gymnasium in Beneov, Otakar studied at Czech Technical University â€" Faculty of Architecture in Prague. After graduating, he began practicing as an architect in Czechoslovakia. Living in an East bloc country in the 1950s and 1960s, Otakar was determined to leave Czechoslovakia for the West. In April 1968, Otakar traveled to West Germany and started working in an architectural office in Duesseldorf, where in August 1968 he witnessed the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia. In January 1969, he achieved his goal of immigrating to the United States, where he settled in Massachusetts. In Boston, he worked in several highly renowned architectural offices including the office of Paul Rudolph and received a master's degree from Harvard Graduate School of Design in Cambridge.

He adhered to the principle that architecture is not a job, but a state of mind. "Breaking records," he said, "leads to sensationalism and, in architecture, to superficiality. As if you get used to loud music, and then it has to get louder and louder for you to perceive it at all." In addition to his career in architecture, Otakar will be remembered as a great lover of music, art, and travel, as a true friend, and a respected colleague. Donations in Otakar's memory may be made to the charity of your choice.

Read Otakar's full obituary at OTAKAR DVORAK, 1938 - 2022.