[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 98 (Wednesday, June 8, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E592]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE LIFE OF ALEXANDER AURRICHIO

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                         HON. THOMAS R. SUOZZI

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 8, 2022

  Mr. SUOZZI. Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today 
to honor the life of Alexander Aurrichio, a talented young Australian 
Rules Footballer who touched the lives of his family, friends, and 
community. Alexander's teammates describe him as a compassionate soul 
with a smile that would light up the room. Alexander's father, Lou 
Aurrichio, remembers his son as ``a leader of men, a teacher of 
children and a true motivator.'' Alexander Aurrichio grew up playing 
basketball at Half Hollow Hills West High School, in Suffolk County, 
Long Island and went on to play collegiate soccer and baseball at 
Columbia University. This June, Alexander will surely be missed when 
his Columbia University team and classmates come together for their 10-
year reunion.
  Nicknamed ``Rooch'' Alexander stood tall at 6'6'' and 220 pounds, 
Alexander is described as a big young man with an even bigger 
personality. According to his mother, Jill, he was born an incredible 
14 lbs. and called Alexander the Great by all the nurses at the 
hospital. Not only was Alexander loved by his community, he had many 
close friends worldwide, especially in Australia where he had been 
playing football since 2014, with a dream to one day play for the AFL. 
He later played for South Adelaide in the South Australian National 
Football League (SANFL) before moving north to join Northern Territory 
Football League (NTFL) club Waratah in Darwin.
  Alexander's ``Australian brother'' Tom Fields remembered Alexander by 
saying ``Alex had the gift to enter into someone's life for a brief 
moment and instantly make them feel happier, safe, and better about 
themselves, to me that is the mark of an exceptional human being'' NBA 
star Tobias Harris played high school basketball with Alexander and 
tweeted, ``Alex was seriously one of the greatest human beings I've 
come across. I've lost a friend that I will forever miss.''
  Alexander Aurrichio was riding a bicycle in Howard Springs on June 8, 
2020, when he was involved in a fatal crash with a car. He was 30 years 
old. Alexander Aurrichio is survived by his mother Jill, father Lou and 
siblings John, Michael, Jillian, and Christopher. As we honor him 
today, we keep his family and friends in our thoughts and prayers, with 
the hope that all those he inspired will flourish as they keep his 
memory alive eternally in their hearts.

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