My Story
For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Doug Roszhart. My last name is simply pronounced as Rose-heart - the rose flower and a heart. My wife tells me it is a very romantic name!
I moved to Texas from a small farming community in Nebraska in 1979 to study engineering at LeTourneau University in Longview. That is where I met and married my wife, Carol. After graduation in 1984, I chose a job at E-Systems in Greenville. We chose Greenville because 1) it was in the state of Texas (my wife is a native Texan) and 2) we considered it a somewhat small rural community similar to what I grew up with in Nebraska. I dedicated my entire career to this same company, which is now called L3Harris Technologies, and retired in December 2021 after over 37 years of service. Carol and I have been married 40 years and we have lived in Greenville for the last 39 years. We have 3 children and 5 grandchildren.
Many people have asked me why I want to run for the State Legislature. That’s a very good question. Why would I give up my comfortable life of retirement, playing golf, helping others, and working on my own home improvement projects? Let me start first by saying that God created me with the desire for serving others. Some of you may remember the movie Chariots of Fire. Eric Liddell, the main character, famously said “God made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” That’s how I feel about serving others. When I serve others, I feel God’s pleasure. I have dedicated my life to serving God and others. I feel it is a calling and a responsibility. As such, I have served in various volunteer and leadership positions such as:
· Greenville City Council
· Church leadership as Deacon and most recently as Elder
· Board of Trustee for GCS and LeTourneau Univ.
· Assistant scoutmaster with BSA Troop 322
· Various other organizations including most recently, Texas Baptist Men Disaster Relief
Secondly, I have learned good citizenship and commitment to my community from multiple generations in my family and others. One key example is my grandfather who served as a Nebraska State Senator for 20 years.
I recently read a newspaper article about him which was published December 22, 1964. The article was titled “A Christian in Politics.” The article concluded with “Mr. Kremer definitely feels that Christians ought to consider making themselves available for positions in government and public life. He says that there is real concern by men in responsible positions over trends in the world today and that Christian influence is definitely needed. ‘If America ever falls the Bible holds the key to her fall; as it has held the key to her present greatness,’ he warned.”
He lived that for all of his 20 years as a senator. His son, Robert (my uncle), followed in his footsteps a few years later, and also served as a State Senator. I also caught that vision and have always believed the same way; that Christians should be involved in government and public service. That is why I have been actively involved in local and state politics for more than three decades.
I wanted to make sure that the Republican Party maintained a platform based on Biblical values and principles, upon which this nation was founded, and also help other like-minded candidates get into office. I have served over 30 years as a Precinct Chairman, delegate to State Conventions, and election Judge. I have also served as our local GOP club VP, and now County Party Vice Chairman. Because of my career, I could not run for state office prior to my retirement. Now I have the time to do so.
I feel this calling for our district in the Texas Legislature. The need is great. Trust at many levels must be restored. Down in Austin, precious time must now be spent fighting for the basics of freedom and defending common sense.