SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 997
         WHEREAS, John Wayne is the prototypical American hero,
  symbolizing such traits as self-reliance, grace under pressure,
  resolve, and patriotism; and
 
         WHEREAS, Born Marion Robert Morrison on May 26, 1907, in
  Winterset, Iowa, he moved with his parents as a young boy to
  California; in 1916, while the family was living in Glendale, he
  began going by "Duke," a nickname that followed him throughout
  his life; and
 
         WHEREAS, In 1925, he began attending the University of
  Southern California on a football scholarship, playing offensive
  lineman; after breaking his collarbone in a surfing accident
  before his junior year, he withdrew from the university and began
  working at Fox Film Corporation as a laborer moving set props and
  as an occasional extra in movies; and
 
         WHEREAS, While working at the studio, he met Wyatt Earp, who
  was a consultant to Western film director John Ford, and he would
  adopt some of Earp's mannerisms for his roles as a cowboy; and
 
         WHEREAS, The first film in which he was the leading actor
  was The Big Trail in 1930; it was then that the studio gave him
  the screen name "John Wayne," which he would use for the
  remainder of his acting career; and
 
         WHEREAS, Starring in classic Western films such as
  Stagecoach, Red River, The Searchers, and True Grit, Wayne
  personified the archetypal cowboy who is rough-edged and
  plainspoken but also capable of great warmth, kindness, and
  generosity; he won an Oscar in 1970 for Best Actor for his role as
  Rooster Cogburn in True Grit; and
 
         WHEREAS, Although best known for his Westerns, John Wayne
  had an impressive list of performances in other genres, such as
  the World War II films Flying Tigers and Sands of Iwo Jima; and
 
         WHEREAS, Wayne was an avid supporter of the United States
  military and toured bases and hospitals in the South Pacific in
  1943 and 1944 with the United Service Organizations; and
 
         WHEREAS, In The Alamo, his first film as a director, John
  Wayne played the role of Davy Crockett; the film won an Oscar
  nomination in 1961 for Best Picture; Wayne also directed and
  starred in The Green Berets, which was released in 1968 and was
  set in Vietnam; and
 
         WHEREAS, Over the course of his acting career, John Wayne
  practically invented the Western hero by combining rugged
  masculinity with the courage to stand up to authority when
  necessary, the strength to match any opponent, and the
  determination to prevail against great odds; John Wayne endures
  as a cultural icon, and his films continue to appeal to new
  audiences; now, therefore, be it
 
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 84th
  Legislature, hereby recognize May 26, 2015 as John Wayne Day;
  and, be it further
 
         RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared in
  honor of this special occasion and as a tribute to the life of
  John Wayne.
 
  Nichols
 
 
Bettencourt Hall Rodríguez
 
Birdwell Hancock Schwertner
 
Burton Hinojosa Seliger
 
Campbell Huffines Taylor of Galveston
 
Creighton Huffman Taylor of Collin
 
Ellis Kolkhorst Uresti
 
Eltife Lucio Watson
 
Estes Menéndez West
 
Fraser Nelson Whitmire
 
Garcia Perry Zaffirini
 
  Patrick, President of the Senate
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        President of the Senate
     
        I hereby certify that the
    above Resolution was adopted by
    the Senate on May 26, 2015.
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        Secretary of the Senate
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate