84R27281 JGH-D
By: Raymond H.R. No. 2677
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The end of an era in Texas journalism has come with
the retirement of Paul Burka from Texas Monthly magazine in March
2015; and
WHEREAS, Born in Galveston, Mr. Burka earned a bachelor's
degree in history from Rice University and a law degree from The
University of Texas at Austin; he was accepted to the State Bar of
Texas, and he began his career as an attorney with the Texas
Legislature, where, as counsel to the Senate Natural Resources
Committee, he was able to closely observe state legislators in
their native habitat; and
WHEREAS, In March 1974, Mr. Burka submitted a Texas-themed
limerick puzzle to a new periodical called Texas Monthly, and the
following month he published his first story for the magazine,
earning $75 for a piece about the old baseball stadium at The
University of Texas; on October 1, 1974, he switched careers and
joined the magazine's staff full-time, working out of its original
offices at 15th and Guadalupe in downtown Austin; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Burka quickly became one of the magazine's
signature writers, crafting stylish and well-researched articles
about Texas barbecue, the Big Bend region, the Houston Astros, the
Southwest Conference, and noteworthy Texas authors; he won a
National Magazine Award for a two-part story on the oil tycoon
Clinton Menges in 1985, and he also won acclaim for his profile of
John Connally, a cover story calling the Chevy Suburban the
"National Car of Texas," an insightful article about the struggles
of a ranching family in Uvalde, and a moving piece about the Texas
A&M bonfire tragedy; and
WHEREAS, In addition, Mr. Burka has served the magazine and
its readers as a skilled editor of the work of other reporters, and
he has been a mentor and an inspiration to younger writers; and
WHEREAS, Above all, Mr. Burka has been, for many years, one
of the most knowledgeable, experienced, and influential
commentators on Texas politics, sharing his encyclopedic knowledge
of the Texas Legislature and its colorful history with the readers
of Texas Monthly and the popular Burka Blog, which he started in
2006, and to which he will occasionally continue to contribute; he
has also regularly explained the ways of Texas and Texans to the
viewers of Fox, MSNBC, NBC, and CNN, and he has inspired both fear
and delight in legislators as one of the creators of the magazine's
annual list of the 10 best and 10 worst legislators; and
WHEREAS, For more than 40 years, this brilliant reporter and
commentator has informed and enlightened readers of all political
persuasions with his deep and affectionate understanding of the
Lone Star State, and he may indeed take pride in the respect with
which he is regarded by generations of his fellow Texans; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Paul Burka 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. Burka as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.