H.R. No. 148 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The death of Jack Ratkovic of Corpus Christi on 1-2 February 7, 1995, has brought a great loss to the family and many 1-3 friends and associates of this distinguished advocate for the 1-4 senior citizens of Nueces County; and 1-5 WHEREAS, Born on January 22, 1914, in Chicago, Illinois, 1-6 Mr. Ratkovic devoted much of his career to public service, 1-7 including many years with the Chicago Parks Department, which he 1-8 served as director of recreation before his retirement; and 1-9 WHEREAS, Mr. Ratkovic and his wife Bernice moved to Corpus 1-10 Christi in 1980 and quickly became active in the betterment of 1-11 their new community; and 1-12 WHEREAS, Committed to the enrichment of the city and the 1-13 Padre Island area, Mr. Ratkovic served on the Corpus Christi Parks 1-14 and Recreation Committee and was active in the establishment of the 1-15 Ethel Eyerly Community Center in Flour Bluff; and 1-16 WHEREAS, He represented the senior citizens of the area as a 1-17 three-term member of the Texas Silver Haired Legislature, in which 1-18 he served on the human services and insurance committees, the 1-19 latter of which he chaired in 1994; and 1-20 WHEREAS, His many contributions to the community and the 1-21 state were widely recognized; he received the Governor's Public 1-22 Service Award from Governor Ann Richards in 1991, and in 1994 he 1-23 became the first recipient of the Padre Island Business 1-24 Association's Citizen of the Year Award; and 2-1 WHEREAS, Mr. Ratkovic also found time to devote his 2-2 extraordinary energy to a variety of other civic and social 2-3 organizations, including the Kiwanis Club, of which he was a gold 2-4 star member, and the Polish Organization of South Texas, where he 2-5 was renowned for his Polish sausage; and 2-6 WHEREAS, Jack Ratkovic was committed to improving the quality 2-7 of life in his community and for all his fellow citizens; although 2-8 he will be missed by his family, friends, and many other admirers, 2-9 his legacy of public service will endure for years to come; now, 2-10 therefore, be it 2-11 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 2-12 Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Jack Ratkovic and 2-13 extend deepest sympathy to his wife, Bernice, and to the other 2-14 members of his family and his friends; and, be it further 2-15 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-16 prepared for the members of his family and that when the house of 2-17 representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Jack 2-18 Ratkovic.