78R12633 MDM-D

By:  Hilderbran                                                 H.C.R. No. 226



CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, The Texas Poet Laureate, State Musician, and State 
Artist Committee has selected Cleatus Rattan of Cisco as Texas Poet 
Laureate for 2004; and
	WHEREAS, A native of Dallas, Dr. Rattan attended Southern 
Methodist University before joining the United States Marine Corps, 
then earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of 
North Texas, a master's degree from Hardin-Simmons University, and 
a master's degree from Southern Methodist University; he also 
received a doctorate in English from Texas A&M 
University--Commerce; and
	WHEREAS, He was an English instructor from 1969 to 2002 at 
Cisco Junior College, where he also chaired the department of 
English and the division of languages and communication; he 
formerly was poetry editor at Cross Timbers Review and, today, his 
schedule includes operating a ranch in Cisco and serving as an 
advisory board member of the Texas Center for Writers; and
	WHEREAS, Dr. Rattan is the author of The Border, Free of the 
Flesh and Other Poems, and 130 Miles to Dallas, as well as more than 
250 poems that have been published in journals and anthologies; he 
has written short stories, monographs, reviews, critical papers, 
and an essay, The Hero, and has given readings of his works at a 
number of universities over the last 25 years; and
	WHEREAS, Tributes to this accomplished writer have come in 
the form of a Texas Review Poetry Prize in 2002 and 1982, a New Texas 
Poetry Prize in 2002, and a Mesquite Poetry Prize in 1996, and in 
1992 he was honored as an Outstanding Graduate of Irving High 
School; and
	WHEREAS, Dr. Rattan's poems plumb universal truths as they 
precisely and lovingly evoke the people and landscapes of his 
cherished West Texas; infused with warmth, humor, and humanity, his 
verses give the reader a feeling, as one critic suggested, of the 
way life ought to be; and
	WHEREAS, Through his exceptional contributions to his chosen 
field of artistic endeavor, Cleatus Rattan has earned deep 
appreciation and esteem and further enriched the vibrant cultural 
life of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 78th Legislature of the State of Texas 
hereby honor Cleatus Rattan on the occasion of his selection as 
Texas Poet Laureate for 2004; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for Dr. Rattan as an expression of high regard by the Texas 
House of Representatives and Senate.