The 150-pound Football Guard
To get an accurate picture of Tom Rousseua and the tough character it takes to achieve what he has, you need to go back to 1939 when he began his high school football career as a freshman.
Tom played all 4 years in high school and two years in the Marines at the traditionally big man's position of offensive guard. The interesting thing is that Tom was a small kid. At 5'6" and 156 pounds he was was the smallest guy on the entire team. His buddy in high school who played tackle next to him,towered over him at 6' 2" and weighed 240 pounds. (That had to bring a smile to his opposing player in the first set of downs.) But they soon stopped laughing. "I'd hit that guy two or three times and he would just start cussing," Tom said, " I played dirty. I had to."
A Friend before We ever Met Him
Long before we met Tom, Elaine took our four young kids to the Shriner's Circus at the Coliseum and afterwards they wanted to ride the elephant which cost $6 a kid. Elaine was upset that the price was so high and she was a bit vocal letting them know that the price was too high for her to afford with that many children.
Tom, who was standing nearby and happened to overhear her distraught complaint, quietly walked up behind her and attempted to give her some assistance.
"I want your kids to ride the elephant," he said, holding out a $20 bill. She refused his generosity but never forgot his face and from the day he walked into the our place,The Rock Inn, till the day we closed, he was a beloved customer.
Tom and the Cloth Napkin
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Tom Rousseau walked down from his office for lunch to our restaurant, the Rock Inn and was a regular. We learned he was some thing of a creature of habit. At each meal he would take our green cloth napkin and tuck it into his belt before he began to eat his meal.
One day as Elaine was driving down Sprague, she chuckled to herself as she saw Tom walking back to his office with his napkin still hanging from his belt line. The next day he showed up for lunch, bringing back the napkin, laundered and neatly folded!
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Read the full story on Tom Rousseau
Read the history of his sign and several examples of his messages
