[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 51 (Thursday, March 26, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E441]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF AL ROTH

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 26, 2015

  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of 
a leader in our South Florida community, Mr. Al Roth.
  It is with a heavy heart that I learned of his passing and I join 
other Floridians in mourning his death. Mr. Roth was a longtime Florida 
citrus farmer, hotelier, grocer and pioneer of both Broward County and 
the Town of Davie, which is located in the heart of Florida's 23rd 
District. His life is now part of the fabric of our South Florida 
history and he will be long remembered.
  As Al's son Bob, of Bob Roth's New River Groves, said, ``He was an 
icon, a machine. He just didn't give up. He was like three people. 
Nobody worked like him . . . He would set up a display and come back 
the next day and change it. He said you have to let people know things 
are changing.''
  For as much as things changed throughout the decades, some things 
always remained the same, like Al's friendly smile, his kindness and 
his generosity.
  His personality was larger than life, and always reflected the 
wonderful man that he was. And I know firsthand that he always made his 
customers and my constituents feel welcomed, happy and valued. He 
genuinely cared for all those around him, whether family, a customer or 
a passerby.
  At 104 years young, Al was a mainstay of our South Florida landscape. 
Although Al is no longer with us, his legacy lives on in his family and 
the institutions he helped found for all who live in and visit Florida. 
I hope they will long serve as a tribute to him and the indelible mark 
he left on our community.

                          ____________________