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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Honorable Ralph Moody Hall of Rockwall, one of |
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the last members of the Greatest Generation to serve in the |
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U.S. Congress, passed away on March 7, 2019, at the age of 95, |
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bringing a great loss to his family, friends, and fellow Texans; and |
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WHEREAS, First elected to the House of Representatives in |
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1980, Ralph Hall became legendary for his work ethic and dedication |
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to constituent service; he spent every weekend back home when |
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Congress was in session, visiting small towns and learning about |
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voters' concerns; on one occasion, he even drove a local veteran |
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some 300 miles round-trip to get his benefits set up at the regional |
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VA office in Waco; and |
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WHEREAS, Congressman Hall was ever attentive to the economic |
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interests of Texas; as ranking member and chair of the Science, |
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Space, and Technology Committee, he championed NASA, and he |
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advocated for the state's oil and gas industry as a key member of |
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the Energy and Commerce Committee; moreover, he secured federal |
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funding for a number of major projects, including an airport and |
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roadway, now named in his honor; his integrity, charm, and |
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self-deprecating sense of humor won over even those who disagreed |
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with him on nearly every issue, and he was reelected 16 times, |
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becoming the oldest person ever to serve in the U.S. House in 2012; |
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he was 91 when he left office in 2015; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Fate on May 3, 1923, Congressman Hall |
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delivered newspapers and worked at a pharmacy while growing up; he |
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also entered politics at an early age, handing out campaign cards |
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for candidates and chauffeuring them around; he joined the |
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U.S. Navy during World War II, and completed pilot training; after |
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demobilization, he went to college on the G.I. Bill and then worked |
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three jobs while pursuing a law degree at Southern Methodist |
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University; he won election as Rockwall County Judge and finished |
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his degree near the beginning of his 12-year tenure in that office; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Congressman Hall went on to win a state senate seat |
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in 1962, and over the next decade, he chaired a number of |
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committees, among them Consumer Protection, Transportation, and |
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County, District, and Urban Affairs; during a short stint in the |
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private sector, he practiced law, served as chief executive of |
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Texas Aluminum Corporation, and founded a bank in his hometown; and |
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WHEREAS, Devoted to his family, he shared a rewarding |
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relationship with Mary Ellen Murphy Hall before her passing in |
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2008, and he once told a reporter, with wry wistfulness, "In 63 |
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years of marriage, we never had a single, solitary argument . . . |
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that I won"; he was the father of three sons, Hampton, Brett, and |
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Blakeley, and he took great pride in his five grandchildren and two |
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great-grandchildren; long after his 80th birthday, he remained fit |
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and active, starting his days with two-mile runs and, in 2012, |
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marking Memorial Day by skydiving to honor members of the military; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Ralph Hall dedicated every chapter of his life to |
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public service, leaving a legacy that will continue to resonate for |
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years to come, and he will be remembered with admiration and deep |
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affection by all who were privileged to know this kind, thoughtful, |
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and gracious man; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of former |
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U.S. Congressman Ralph Moody Hall and extend sincere condolences to |
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all who mourn his passing; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Ralph Moody |
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Hall. |