86R36901 JGH-D
By: Raymond H.R. No. 2171
R E S O L U T I O N
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.