Bob and Joan Rossen

For Newport Beach couple Bob and Joan Rossen, June is bagel time.

Every year this month, 73-year-old Bob Rossen organizes the Bagel

Open, a golf tournament that benefits the Orange County Chapter of

the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Joan Rossen, 66, was diagnosed with the disease 10 years ago.

Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the central

nervous system.

The Bagel Open is something the Rossens have been doing for 14

years. It started when Bob Rossen, a former swimming and water polo

coach at Carson High School, started playing golf with his athletes.

“And they said, ‘Coach, we should do this every year,’” he said.

“And we did.”

Why Bagel Open?

“Well, all coaches are weird,” he said with a laugh. “We needed a

name and just came up with one. And it stuck.”

Of course, bagels are served to the players.

“If we don’t have bagels, they get very angry,” Rossen said.

The money from the tournament goes to the Orange County Chapter

that takes good care of his wife, Rossen said.

“They provided her with counseling, group therapy and physical

services,” he said. “You want to help an organization that is helping

you.”

Rossen does almost all of the work for the Bagel Open. He gets the

prizes, does the paperwork, prints fliers on his home computer and

mails them off. His wife and daughter help stuff the envelopes and

his son does the mailings. And of course, he doesn’t forget to get

the bagels.

In the last 10 years, the tournament has donated more than $30,000

for the cause, Rossen said.

Joan Rossen said her husband does most of the work and she helps

in whatever way she can, be it taking care of the tables or stamping

the envelopes.

“It’s nice that there is that much more money to go around for

this cause,” she said.

Rossen says he has volunteered for several causes in the past, but

has never been involved in anything else as deeply.

“This is more personal,” he said. “Every time I do this, I get the

feeling of satisfaction that my wife will be taken care of.”

-- Story by Deepa Bharath,

Photo by Mark C. Dustin