3.30.2024 Fall River Icon: George Wrobel

Have a seat.

Well, uh, obviously we're here today to, um, honor George Roel. Um, although this is long distance from Houston, his heart, we hope, is still in Fall River.

But we do want to acknowledge what this gentleman's done throughout his life and is still doing to this very day. And I'll read a prepared statement they gave me because they knew I would leave stuff out and uh, butcher it. But uh, we appreciate if you'd hear this from us, George. Okay.

The phrase actions speak louder than words originated in the 17th century. Uh George, I'm the mayor of Fall River. You got a room full of people here. I just want everybody to know that we got together to honor you. I'm sorry I didn't even identify myself. My name is Paul Coogan. Nice to see you. The phrase actions speak louder than words originated in the 17th century. Those words still exist today and you are the

embodiment of those words. You spent your year early years serving the country in Vietnam and you were awarded two bronze service stars and a bronze service medal. Your actions were heroic and you served your country honorably, putting the safety of others always ahead of your own. You worked for 22 years as the director of the Stevens home in Swansea, helping young men get their treatment they needed to get their

lives back in order. While doing that work, you opened up your family counseling business and helped countless numbers of people who were struggling with all types of issues. And you did it because you wanted to help people.

During all those years of helping people, you would on many occasions do it at no cost to the patients because you knew they weren't able to afford it.

You made differences in people's lives for the right reasons. You wanted them to get better, and it wasn't about money. No one knew then, but we know now that you sacrificed your financial and well-being to put others ahead of yourself. Those are the actions that words cannot describe. Faith in God has always been the bedrock of your life.

And because you always lead by example, others put great trust in you and emulated your actions.

You continued helping young people by becoming the director of guidance at Bishop Stang. And you were larger than life there because of how many people you guided through the most difficult periods of their lives.

And today you continue that same service at age 78 at Straight Jesuit College Preparatory School in Houston.

You drove an ambulance to Honduras to help a mission there at the risk of being kidnapped or worse. We don't want to know about that, George. You did it to help the less fortunate. You were a founding member of Michael's Fund for Childhood Cancer to help bring awareness to childhood cancer as you lost your nephew Michael Michael and continued serving on that board for almost 25 years. You coached CYO basketball and I

would need another day to list all the giving you've done throughout your whole life to help others and make their lives better. You never were a man of many words and we understand why. It's because words never get the job done.

You spoke by your actions and we are eternally grateful that you chose the path because countless number of lives are better for it. For all these reasons and many more, the city of Fall River and myself would like to honor you with the Fall River Icon Award.

Congratulations. This is fitting as National Vietnam Veterans Day was yesterday. Congratulations, George.

We're all here to honor you. Thank you.

Uh George, we also have a couple of our state representatives here. One's represented by uh Carly and the other is Representative Alan Sylvia from the South End. They want to say a few words also.

Thank you, Mayor. And I'll do a little introduction for Rep. Sylvia as well.

Um, George, you don't know me, but I'm a staffer from State Representative Carol Fiola's office, and I know that she extends her best wishes to you today in your rec in recognition of you receiving the Fall River Icon Award, which is a new and very exciting series um, presented by Lula from Axis Bats and the city of Fall River. And then those wishes are extended by the state delegation as well. Um, I have the very

large blessing of teaching alongside your brother and sister as well who are here. And I if you are anything like them then I know that you are a wonderful person because they are wonderful people. And uh so I'm here alongside state representative Alan Sylvia and we have a citation to present to you from the state delegation u the house of house of representatives. So thank you. Thank you colleague George.

Uh it's a pleasure to be here and an honor. Uh I know Mayor uh Coogan mentioned yesterday being Vietnam uh America's day uh for those who served in Vietnam. I am one of those. Thank you for your service. Uh your faith is incredible and so strong to be testament to where you are right now uh teaching there and and and doing that great great work. Um I'm not too far from where you

were. I'm over at Good Sheeperd. I know St. Stands is a very important spot for you in Fall River. Uh so I just wanted to to to deliver a short message uh that all these folks all these people uh and many more uh are honoring you today and I have a citation uh from the delegation um and uh I'd like to read that u it is hereby known that to all that the Massachusetts House of Representatives

office is sincerest congratulations to George Roel in recognition receiving the Fall River Icon Award.

Thank you for your invaluable contributions to the Four River community. The entire membership extends its very best wishes and expresses the hope for future good fortune and continued success in all your endeavors given this 30th day of March 2026 at the state house in Boston. Signed by the speaker of the house, Ron Mariano, Rep.

Fiola, Carol Fiola, Representative Steven Wlette, and myself, Alan Sylvia.

Congratulations George.

We'll make sure your brother has this and we'll keep it for you. Insist.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I I was remiss also joining us today as one of our members of the city council, Michael Canuel, who wanted to say a few congratulatory remarks also.

Just wanted to say on behalf of the Full River City Council, thank you very much for your service. Thank you for everything you've done for our city and our community and congratulations on this wonderful honor. Wish you were here, but uh extending our congratulations across the country.

Thank you.

Yes, George. I just wanted to mention that that guy you rode around with in Honduras is here. you know who do and it's really because of him that we have we we started this whole icon award. So, uh I I know he's he's shy in many ways.

He doesn't like to speak, but I wanted to make sure uh that you know where all of this started. Uh and uh God bless George.

Hi George.

You know, I know your head is spinning right about now and you probably can't wrap your head around this moment, but it's unbelievable that you're receiving this honor.

And um I can't help but think of mom and dad at this moment because they would be really truly happy, ecstatic, and beyond proud of you.

George, as an educator and a counselor, you used your gift and talents to serve the youth of Fall River and those in the greater Fall River area.

Throughout your career, your military service in Vietnam was distinguished and it was marked with bravery and valor.

So, George, here we are this morning together.

Tom and I, your siblings, stand proudly with you and along with our families.

past and present celebrating this moment with you and quite unbelievable and incredible that you are named a Fall River icon.

It's unbelievable.

We're so proud and I think dad at this moment would say these words that are familiar to us.

I'm proud of you, George, and you are a credit to our family.

We love you and I'm glad I'm here and I'm not over there because I know that this is not easy for you at this moment, but we are so proud of you and we love you. God bless you.

your brother is here for you.

And I wrote the same same stuff as Nancy did. And the first my first line here is your father would say you are a damn credit to the family.

And you are.

And your mother, of course, as Nancy mentioned, uh she would be overjoyed and uh she would make like four or five different copies of this entire proceeding. She'd make copies and just spread them around the house and you know that.

But she would be overjoyed with the recognition of your counseling and teaching as Nancy said and others have said of uh youths and adults in our city and this uh the Fall River area, our parish. You've helped many people in our parish, our family. You've also helped a number of people in our family and now Stra and the Houston area. And I don't want to be remiss that uh I'm going to

say that Louiswoo, you know, Louie, Louis the best.

He got this together.

George of course served in Vietnam. And you know if we have an older crowd here, you know how Vietnam went, right? And how many uh people, many men opted out.

He didn't opt out. um you've drafted and he went um and he served and he served this country and you also supported children and adults who were in need of u marrow transplants through Michael's fund and that was 25 years. I say 24 but your sister would correct me quickly and say 25 Tom.

So I would say that working as a counselor was never a job. I have a job is never a job for you. I I think it was a it was a vocation and uh it was a calling. And Nancy and myself deserve a little bit of this reward because you've been telling us what to do for 70 years and that helped in your u in your training for for counseling. Certainly did.

And uh it was also brought up that uh you did counseling for many for many people and never charged them or you did it in kind. That being they even repaid you some some other way but you did it um without worrying about being paid and u it's a wonderful thing.

Uh lastly, uh George is a brother.

Outstanding.

No other brother like him. Um if you would have him as a brother, you you'd love him to pieces.

He is a u he's a very good man.

Beside my father, George is the the best man uh that I know.

Love you. This is for you, baby. And this is for you.

George, it's your old assistant from Bishop Stang High School.

And I mean old in every sense of the word because that was back in 2001 that I started at Bishop's Day and I hope um I know that they've said that you your heart your you have a large part of your heart in Fall River but I think a large piece of that heart came to 500 Slokum Road at Bishop's Deng because you brought with you such such grace uh such compassion

But I will say when I first started at Sting and I met you for the first time, I was a little afraid of you.

But as I got to know you, there was nothing at all to be afraid of and so much to love because not only have you touched every single student's life at Bishop Stang High School, you touched faculty and staff in ways that you will never know. And when I say that, I mean from the bottom of my heart because there were many days when you left me.

You left me and I would have to call and get some George words because there are no other words like George words. Your your advice and how you lead me in my faith. I don't know anyone else like that ever. I've not passed another human being like you. So, I love you. Kathy Regginus and I are here representing the Spartans. And um this award is so deserving of you. You are larger than

life and I will always love you.

Hi, George. You know, George, on the drive down, I was trying to think how long I've known you, and it was somewhere between I thought 45 or 50 years. And then I thought, you know, that I I didn't think that could be true because recently you told me you were 38.

So, however we've known each other, it's been a really long time. George, you know, George, recently I saw I haven't I don't know if you've seen Project Hail Mary, but it's well worth seeing. It's a there's a a spaceship goes off and there's a human and he's in another galaxy and he runs into another ship and there's a being on it and it looks like a rock and they don't have

anything to do with one another for a long time but the human keeps going back and you know more and more he changes the character of the rock and at some point in the movie the rock saves his life because that's what he was trained to do And you know what, George? All the men you've had contact with, and by the way, that includes my daughter and my son, all the people you've had contact

with, that's what they do, George. They take your wisdom and go into the world and continue it. So for that, George, I have to thank you. Take care.

So George, this was very special, but we did leave out something that's very, very important since you're in Houston.

That's not all Texans fans we're facing up here, is it? Are you Have you become one of the Houston Texans fans or you were still with the Patriots?

Yankees forever, man.

Yankees forever. We wanted to talk football. But thank you and congratulations. Thank you for letting us beam in. Thank you guys.

Thank you.

Thanks. Okay.

What the heck was that?

It's got your quilt.

You want to say something?

So this this is a quilt that that he he received uh the latter part of last year and uh because of his service. Um this is the quilt is called the quilt of honor and uh he was given this in uh through a Rhode Island chapter.

Very good.

Very nice. Oh, it is.

And for his service in Vietn.

So we need some words from you.

Yes.

Can you hear me? Speech.

Yes.

You can't hear me?

Yes. It's interesting because no one then anything like wonderful like this happens. No, it doesn't happen to anyone when they're alive. So why why am I going through this is an interesting thing.

But I I thank I thank all of you. And of course uh it's interesting how God works. It just is. I uh I don't anticipate ever anticipate any of this.

Uh but I do think of all of you and I do miss all of you and you're all uh a huge part of my life and everything that I do is a reflection of my relationship, my my uh my being with you guys. Um it's been uh it's been wonderful. Hey, listen. I'm not talking like I'm done. I got hired again. So, it's pretty easy here. I'm not uh I'm not turning anything in. Uh and I

continue to uh be blessed by being here in Houston at this wonderful place with these tremendous people who pull this off in front of me. Okay. Uh I uh I you you sit there and you say you're not deserving of this. But you know what?

You know what's interesting about it?

It's not so much that it's about me.

It's about all of us, all of you together, being with each other, seeing each other, meeting each other for the first time, and understanding how impactful you have been uh in the life of one person. And um and that's just about being with me. How about the people you affect?

Um I I could go through every one of you in in in an incredibly special way, but uh I really have to thank my wife for her 55 years of patience.

55 years. Come on. Come on, man.

um and my son and his wife uh who are special to me and pretty much the reason we came down here to be with uh Luke and my grandson. Uh but these people I have been involved with for the last 13 years especially.

Um um uh Nancy, thank you. Both Nancy, thank you.

Um, and uh, I'll keep you all in my prayers.

I don't know how to put this in perspective. And the good part about it is I'm not going to walk away saying it's about damn time I got what I deserve because because am I deserving of uh, this, but it's as much for you as it is for me. And and I will continue to pray for you and thank you. And thank you to the city of Fall River. Thank you, mayor, um, for the

for the gift and for sharing me with my group here and my group there. And I'll pray for all of you. Thank you, God. Go Yankees.