Ratcliffe was born on July 4, 1937[1] and grew up in Springfield, Ohio, where he met his wife, the former Judy Jones.
Prior to his selection as Chief Scout Executive, he was director of the BSA's Central Region, headquartered in Naperville, Illinois.
[5] The year before, in April 1997, Ratcliffe was arrested at Miami International Airport when the security scan showed he had inadvertently left a handgun in his luggage.
These efforts effectively doubled local council endowments and allowed National to direct funds to major improvements in the high-adventure bases.
Under Ratcliffe's administration, the Operation First Class program, now known as Scoutreach, was introduced to provide training and develop the resources necessary to serve at-risk youth in urban and rural areas.