[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 29 (Tuesday, March 9, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E329]]
                         THE LIFE OF PHIL ROOS

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                            HON. JIM NUSSLE

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 9, 2004

  Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to a 
beloved member of the Dubuque, Iowa community. Phil Roos was truly a 
special teacher and coach and he was tragically taken from us at the 
age of 57. Phil leaves not only the lives of his family, but of those 
many students and athletes whose lives he touched for over 30 years. 
Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize Phil and ask that the attached article 
from the Dubuque Telegraph Herald be placed along with my comments in 
the Record.

                    Roos Made Everyone Feel Special

                            (By Bill Speltz)

       Phil Roos had a special gift.
       Oh sure, he was an excellent math teacher and tennis coach 
     and one of the founding fathers of a strong intramural 
     program at Hempstead. He was also a darn good athlete in his 
     day, especially with a racket in his hand (legend has it he'd 
     play his students in a game of badminton to 50, spot them 49 
     points and still win).
       But there are a lot of good teachers, coaches and athletes 
     out there. The fact Roos was all three is impressive, but it 
     all seems small compared to his finest quality as a human 
     being.
       Phil was special because he made you feel good about 
     yourself. He made you feel like you were an extraordinary 
     person, and it motivated you to prove him right.
       How do you replace someone like that? How do you make sense 
     of Roos dying of brain cancer Sunday at the age of 57?
       You don't.
       ``He had such a wonderful way of bonding with kids,'' said 
     Natalie Nemmers, Roos' assistant coach for the boys tennis 
     team the past three seasons. ``We kind of built this family, 
     and he would've done anything for the boys, because he was so 
     proud of them.
       ``He used to get so nervous before meets. But he would 
     never show it. He just wanted so much for the boys, and they 
     knew he loved them.''
       Roos' Hempstead family stretched far beyond tennis players 
     in his 33 years at the school. Between his teaching and an 
     intramural program that has about 500 participants annually, 
     countless young adults were touched by this upbeat, kind-
     hearted man.
       ``What a tremendous loss,'' Hempstead athletic director 
     Harry Robbins said. ``His students and his athletes just 
     loved him, and the reason they loved him is because he was 
     able to connect with them.
       ``The best way I can describe Phil Roos is he stood for all 
     the right things in life. Great father, husband, role model 
     for young people. Students would seek him out because he 
     always had time to talk about whatever they wanted to talk 
     about, just trying to help.''
       For all his tennis coaching success, Roos' most admirable 
     moment may have come three years ago, when he ended a 15-year 
     coaching retirement to help revive the Mustangs' struggling 
     boys program. Not many would make the same move, mainly 
     because tennis takes a ton of time and weather conditions in 
     the spring are often cold and windy.
       Concerned about all the time he would spend away from his 
     family, Roos made Hempstead tennis a family affair. His son, 
     seventh-grader Andrew, joined the team for practice every 
     day. His ``other'' sons drank in every bit of advice Phil 
     offered, and the result is a program that's back on the 
     upswing.
       ``A lot of times, on school (athletic) trips, guys will be 
     fighting for the back seat of the bus because they never want 
     to sit by the coach of the team,'' Hempstead senior Jason 
     Burkle said. ``For me, it was just the opposite with Coach 
     Roos. I wanted to sit up front.
       ``What I liked most is the way he controlled the team, yet 
     he still knew how to have a lot of fun.''
       For those who knew him, Roos' kindness was infectious and 
     his calm demeanor admirable. Just ask Craig Olson, Hempstead 
     girls tennis coach and Roos' former rival as leader of the 
     Dubuque Senior boys tennis program in the 1980s.
       ``With him, there was no screaming or yelling, and he was 
     the same way with his teaching,'' Olson said. ``He'd inspire 
     you.
       ``I was just tickled he came back to coach again these last 
     few years. I remember when I first started out coaching, I 
     was more of an enthusiastic, `rah-rah' type of guy. Watching 
     him, I learned patience.''
       Phil's spirit lives on in all his students, past and 
     present, and all those who knew him. It lives on in his wife, 
     Julie, and his best friend, son Andrew, who is truly a chip 
     off the old block.
       By the time Andrew is old enough to play his first high 
     school tennis match, Phil's players are hoping to have the 
     Hempstead courts named in the coach's honor. In the meantime, 
     Phil's extended family will try to make some sense of his 
     death at today's funeral.
       That's going to be about as easy as trying to beat Phil in 
     badminton.
       ``He made people,'' said Ryan Denman, Hempstead senior 
     tennis player. ``He taught us how to live our lives and 
     taught us that it wasn't about winning or losing, but that we 
     always gave 100 percent.
       ``It's going to be very rough playing tennis this season, 
     from the first day to the last. We'll play the season for 
     him.''

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