[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 5 (Wednesday, January 10, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E59]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE MEMORY OF MR. PETRO JAMES ROUSSOS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 9, 2007

  Mr. BONNER. Madam Speaker, Mobile County and indeed the entire State 
of Alabama recently lost a dear friend, and I rise today to honor him 
and pay tribute to his memory. Mr. Petro James Roussos, known as 
``Pete'' to his many friends and family, was a devoted family man and 
dedicated community leader throughout his life.
  Although he was originally from Seminole, OK, Pete spent the majority 
of his life in Mobile. He attended Murphy High School, where he played 
football and was elected to the All-City Squad. He received about a 
dozen scholarship offers before choosing to attend Auburn University, 
where he went on to play football on the 1954 and 1955 teams. He also 
was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity at Auburn. He finished school 
in 1958 graduating from Troy State University.
  Not long after graduation, Pete began what was eventually to become a 
long and storied career in the restaurant business. In 1963, he opened 
Pete Roussos' Bonanza Lounge on U.S. 90 near the Skyline Shopping 
Center. In 1965, he moved from Mobile to Alexandria, LA, where he 
opened McDonald's Restaurant franchises in Pineville and Lafayette, LA. 
After returning to Mobile in 1982, he owned and operated, with his 
uncle, the popular Pier 4 restaurant on the causeway for a period of 
time. His other businesses included Crabby Pete's in Gulf Shores and 
Pete Roussos' Restaurant on Azalea Road.
  Pete Roussos was the kind of man who would give you the shirt right 
off his own back. He spent his lifetime working hard and making a name 
for himself and his family. It is a name not soon to be forgotten in 
the First District, much less any other place he ever lived. He had the 
type of personality that would make any restaurant successful. His aura 
permeated throughout the room and left customers feeling at home and 
comfortable whenever he was near.
  Besides his love for the restaurant business, Pete was also an avid 
sportsman. He was affiliated with the Coastal Conservation Association 
of Alabama and was a big supporter of the Alabama Wildlife Foundation. 
He was an original member of the Mobile Big Game Fishing Club, a 
supporter of Ducks Unlimited in Mobile, and a major supporter of the 
Ducks Unlimited Organization in Alexandria during the late 1970s and 
early 1980s. He was also a member of the American Kennel Club-Mobile 
Retriever Club from 1962 to 1980.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today and ask my colleagues to join with me in 
remembering a dedicated community leader and friend to many throughout 
south Alabama. Pete Roussos loved life and lived it to the fullest, and 
his passing marks a tremendous loss for all of south Alabama. He will 
be deeply missed by many, most especially his wife, Sandra Mitchell 
Roussos; his two sons, Petro James Roussos, Jr., and Nicholas James 
Roussos; his daughter, Alexa Kyriaki Roussos; as well as countless 
friends and loyal employees that he leaves behind.
  Our thoughts and prayers are with them all at this difficult time.

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