Ridge Point’s Adams passes career milestone - Page 5
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Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 44 • No. 75
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Woman dies after car crashes into lake by the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office, died Jan. 14. A tweet from the FBCSO just after 11 p.m. Jan. 13 said Mwembo's vehicle went into a lake near the intersection of University Boulevard and Kirkpatrick Way/Oilfield Road in Missouri City.
By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
A woman died after her car crashed into a neighborhood lake near Missouri City last week. The driver, identified as 36-year-old Aisee Mwembo of Sugar Land
Reports from the Houston Chronicle said Mwembo was unconscious when members of a rescue dive team pulled her from the submerged vehicle. According to the report, rescuers attempted CPR on Mwembo, who was then transported to a
nearby hospital before being pronounced dead the next day. "We commend our staff, Missouri City FD, Fort Bend County EMS, HPD Dive Team and the many residents that were out there trying to rescue her," FBCSO said in a Jan. 15 Facebook post.
Rocket man
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Stafford MSD to provide free dinners for students
Shown here is Steven “Rocket” Rosen. The longtime Houston attorney and former Fort Bend County prosecutor passed away Jan. 14 from complications with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and hundreds gathered for his memorial service at Congregation Beth El in Missouri City last week. (Photo from Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office Twitter)
Community celebrates life of famed area attorney By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Last week, Stafford Municipal School District received approval from the Texas Department of Agriculture to begin a program offering free weekday dinners to all students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Beginning Feb. 3, SMSD students can take advantage of the program from 3:45-5:45 p.m. MondayFriday in the Stafford Elementary cafeteria. SMSD Child Nutrition Services Director Danny McDonald said the district already participates in the UDSA’s National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, so the service is expanding in order to provide meals for Stafford students at all times of the day. “This school meal is maybe the only meal they will receive, so it’s just an extension of what we already do,” she said. The School Breakfast Program (SBP) reimburses the cost of meals served to more than 1.5 million qualifying Texan children daily. Meanwhile,
SEE SMSD PAGE 6
“That was Rocket.” That refrain, and others like it, echoed throughout Congregation Beth El in Missouri City on Friday morning as hundreds gathered to celebrate the life of famed Houston attorney and longtime Richmond resident Steven “Rocket” Rosen. Rosen died Jan. 14 at age 65 following a two-year battle with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. “I’ve always felt like the luckiest girl in the world, being Rocket Rosen’s daughter,” his daughter Courtney said. “The older I get and the more people I meet, the more I realize how special my father really was and how much of an inspiration he had on everyone. He was larger than life, and he made everyone’s life a little bit better.” Born in 1955 on the Fourth of July – spurring the “Rocket” nickname – Rosen was a graduate of the University of Florida and South Texas College of Law. He rose to fame
as an affable defense attorney liked by judges, juries and clients alike. He would even sometimes introduce himself to the jury in a case with a signature phrase of sorts: “I’m Rocket Rosen – I was born on the Fourth of July and I’m from Miami Beach!” That was Rocket. His first job following graduation was serving in the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office in 1980 before starting his own firm in 1985. He is most well-known for representing two of the Branch Davidians following the FBI siege on their compound in 1993, and doing so with a virtually unmatched zeal. “A formidable attorney and former Fort Bend County prosecutor, Rocket battled his ALS diagnosis with dignity, spending the last few years speaking to honor, character, resilience, and positivity,” District Attorney Brian Middleton said in a statement. “Rocket, it was our honor to know you.” Those close to Rosen said he had one of the biggest hearts around regardless of whether he was addressing
Steven "Rocket" Rosen's daughter Courtney addresses the congregation during her father's memorial service on Jan. 17 at Congregation Beth El in Missouri City. (Photo by Landan Kuhlmann)
a high-powered executive, a judge or the average person on the street. Every speaker at Friday’s memorial service said Rosen especially gushed about his wife, Robin, and their four daughters – Portland, Darby,
Courtney and Jorden. That was Rocket. “He was there for his friends, his family and the less fortunate. He was humble, treated everyone as an equal and played no favorites,” long-
time friend Gary Liebermann said. When he wasn’t in the courtroom, Rosen was giving back to the community in many ways, usually using the athletic skills that landed him in the National Flag Football Hall of Fame and Texas Amateur Athlete Hall of Fame. Most prominently, friends said he was a beloved coach with the Missouri City Magic softball team, teaching area girls how to live, laugh and love – often invoking the advice of Hall of Fame football coach Vince Lombardi. “He was the voice in my head, offering me words of encouragement. I never lost my voice, and I have Rocket to thank for that,” said Ryan Graybill, a member of the club’s 1998 10U national championship team. “He would speak to us like our voices mattered. We love you Rocket, and we’ll make it our life mission to have fun and make the world a better place.” Added another former
SEE ROSEN PAGE 7
Area faith communities unite to honor King’s message By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision was one of unity and service. During some time off from school earlier this week, faith congregations from around Fort Bend County put that vision into modern-day action. On Monday, which was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Aga Khan Council for the Southwest United States hosted the Fort Bend Interfaith Community for its second annual
Youth Day of Service at the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center in Sugar Land. Area youngsters from the Christian, Islamic and Jewish religious communities, among others, took part in service activities spearheaded by different congregations and later took part in a facilitated interfaith dialogue. “I think it’s important to be able to reach across the aisle and get together with people that may not share the same beliefs,” said 16-year-old Rachel Wade with Congregation Beth El in Missouri City.
“Especially with what’s going on in the world, I think it’s important to be able to establish common ground with those you don’t necessarily see on a regular basis.” Seeking to promote “dialogue, understanding, and a sense of kinship,” the Fort Bend Interfaith Community brings together people of various faiths to worship, learn and engage in good works such as Monday’s projects.
SEE MLK PAGE 6
Faris Husain (left) watches while Dillon Smith drills as part of the Fort Bend Interfaith Council's Youth Day of Service on Monday. More than 100 students from faith communities participated. (Photo by Landan Kuhlmann)