[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 10478]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING THOMAS BLAKE RATLIFF

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to a very dear 
friend of mine and a great Kentuckian who has sadly passed away. Thomas 
Blake Ratliff of Pikeville, a Navy veteran, died on April 20, 2015. He 
was 88 years old.
  Born on May 27, 1926, Tom attended elementary, junior high, and high 
school at the Pikeville College Academy and graduated in 1944. Upon 
graduation he joined the Navy and served in the Pacific theater during 
World War II until being honorably discharged in 1946.
  After his naval service, Tom attended Pikeville College and the 
University of Kentucky, where he received a bachelor of laws in 1951 
and a juris doctorate in 1970. Tom and his wife Myrtle returned home to 
Pikeville after Tom graduated law school, and he practiced law and also 
became involved in the coal business. Tom also had business interests 
in hotels, restaurants, the Reynold's Body Company and in properties in 
Kentucky and Florida.
  Tom was also active in civic affairs and public service. A passionate 
supporter of the Republican Party, he served in various capacities for 
the local, State, and national GOP. He was a great supporter of mine 
and I remember well his enthusiasm and dedication over the years. He 
was elected as the Commonwealth attorney for the 35th Judicial Circuit 
and served in that post from 1964 to 1970. He was also the Republican 
candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 1967.
  In addition to his work and positions in politics, Tom gave 
generously of his time to many worthy causes, including service as the 
director of the Pikeville Methodist Hospital and as a trustee of 
Pikeville College. He was the president of the Pikeville Rotary Club 
and volunteered his time with the Coal Operators Association and the 
Boy Scouts.
  Tom was a Christian who attended Pikeville United Methodist Church. 
He also served on the church's administrative board. His hobbies 
included reading, traveling, boating, and being physically active. He 
loved to travel and had visited all the continents.
  Tom is survived by his wife, Myrtle; the two were married on August 
21, 1949. He is also survived by his daughters Susan G. Tillotson and 
Jan E. Sharpe; his sons Kevin N. Ratliff and Chris Ratliff; his 
grandchildren Elizabeth J. Spraggs, Juliet Kamper, Jonathan K. Wright, 
Thomas N. Ratliff, Daniel C. Ratliff, and Jordan B. Ratliff; his great-
grandchild, Tiara Wright; his sister, Charlene R. Easton; and his 
brother, Roger E. J. Ratliff.
  I want to extend my deepest condolences to Myrtle and to the family 
in this time of loss. The Commonwealth of Kentucky joins them in 
mourning this hero and public servant. Tom Ratliff bravely served his 
country in uniform during World War II, and served his fellow 
Kentuckians in public office. He was a hero and a patriot who I was 
proud to know and to call a friend. He will be greatly missed, not only 
by his family but by his many friends who knew and loved him.

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