TITLE: Congratulating journalist R. G. Ratcliffe on his retirement from Texas Monthly magazine.

SUMMARY: Congratulating journalist R. G. Ratcliffe on his retirement from Texas Monthly magazine.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Legendary Texas journalist R. G. Ratcliffe is retiring from Texas Monthly magazine in 2019, drawing to a close a remarkable four-decade career covering state and national politics; and WHEREAS, Raised in Dallas, Robert Gary Ratcliffe first saw his name in print at the age of five, when he got behind the wheel of his mother's car and drove it into a house, an episode that became a national wire service story; he subsequently focused on covering the news rather than making it, and he honed his skills as a student radio reporter at the University of Missouri while earning a degree in journalism and American history; and WHEREAS, Mr. Ratcliffe spent the early years of his career in Georgia and Florida, and it was during that period that he developed an interest in political journalism after conducting investigative reporting on elected officials who took bribes from Colombian drug lords; he also covered the trial of serial killer Ted Bundy for the Florida Times-Union;returning to Texas, he worked briefly in the Arlington bureau of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram before relocating to Austin; after initially covering events in the capital city for the Star-Telegram,he spent 24 years as a reporter for the Houston Chronicle;in 2011, he started writing for Texas Monthly,and he joined the magazine's permanent staff in 2017; and WHEREAS, Over the course of his 40 years in journalism, Mr. Ratcliffe has covered six Texas governors, from Bill Clements to Greg Abbott, as well as every national presidential race from 1988 to 2008; along the way, he also reported on the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, chronicled the tectonic shift from Democratic to Republican dominance in Texas politics, and authored an investigative story about University of Texas management company investments that has been used in teaching journalism classes at Columbia University; he even got to enjoy a moment in the limelight when he was featured in the HBO documentary Journeys with George,about the 2000 presidential campaign; and WHEREAS, By dedicating himself to the mission of holding elected officials accountable for their actions, R. G. Ratcliffe has earned a well-deserved reputation as one of the best political reporters in Texas and throughout the nation, and his sharp intellect, keen insight, and dry wit will be greatly missed by all those who have had the good fortune to appreciate his work; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas Legislature hereby congratulate R. G. Ratcliffe on his retirement from Texas Monthly and extend to him sincere best wishes for continued success and happiness; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Mr. Ratcliffe as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Raymond Bonnen of Brazoria Guerra Noble Allen Guillen Oliverson Allison Gutierrez Ortega Anchia Harless Pacheco Anderson Harris Paddie Ashby Hefner Parker Bailes Hernandez Patterson Beckley Herrero Paul Bell of Kaufman Hinojosa Perez Bell of Montgomery Holland Phelan Bernal Howard Price Biedermann Huberty Ramos Blanco Hunter Raney Bohac Israel Raymond Bonnen of Galveston E. Johnson of Dallas Reynolds Bowers J. Johnson of Dallas Rodriguez Buckley Johnson of Harris Romero, Jr. Bucy Kacal Rose Burns King of Hemphill Rosenthal Burrows King of Parker Sanford Button King of Uvalde Schaefer Cain Klick Shaheen Calanni Krause Sheffield Canales Kuempel Sherman, Sr. Capriglione Lambert Shine Clardy Landgraf Smith Cole Lang Smithee Coleman Larson Springer Collier Leach Stephenson Cortez Leman Stickland Craddick Longoria Stucky Cyrier Lopez Swanson Darby Lozano Talarico Davis of Dallas Lucio III Thierry Davis of Harris Martinez Thompson of Brazoria Dean Martinez Fischer Thompson of Harris Deshotel Metcalf Tinderholt Dominguez Meyer Toth Dutton Meza Turner of Dallas Farrar Middleton Turner of Tarrant Fierro Miller VanDeaver Flynn Minjarez Vo Frank Moody Walle Frullo Morales White Geren Morrison Wilson Gervin-Hawkins Mu oz, Jr. Wray Goldman Murphy Wu Gonz lez of Dallas Murr Zedler Gonz lez of El Paso Neave Zerwas Goodwin Nev rez Zwiener Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 2171 was adopted by the House on May 26, 2019, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House