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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, John Wayne is the prototypical American hero, |
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symbolizing such traits as self-reliance, grace under pressure, |
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resolve, and patriotism; and |
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WHEREAS, Born Marion Robert Morrison on May 26, 1907, in |
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Winterset, Iowa, he moved with his parents as a young boy to |
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California; in 1916, while the family was living in Glendale, he |
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began going by "Duke," a nickname that followed him throughout his |
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life; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1925, he began attending the University of |
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Southern California on a football scholarship, playing offensive |
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lineman; after breaking his collarbone in a surfing accident before |
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his junior year, he withdrew from the university and found |
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employment with Fox Film Corporation as a laborer moving set props |
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and as an occasional extra in movies; and |
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WHEREAS, While working at the studio, he met Wyatt Earp, who |
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was serving as a consultant to Western film director John Ford, and |
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he subsequently adopted some of Earp's mannerisms for his roles as a |
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cowboy; and |
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WHEREAS, The first film in which he appeared as the leading |
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actor was The Big Trail, released in 1930; it was then that the |
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studio gave him the screen name "John Wayne," which he would use for |
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the remainder of his acting career; and |
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WHEREAS, Starring in classic Western films such as |
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Stagecoach, Red River, The Searchers, and True Grit, Wayne |
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personified the archetypal cowboy who is rough-edged and |
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plainspoken, but who is also capable of great warmth, kindness, and |
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generosity; he won an Oscar in 1970 for Best Actor for his role as |
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Rooster Cogburn in True Grit; and |
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WHEREAS, Although best known for his Westerns, John Wayne |
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starred in many movies in other genres, such as the World War II |
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films Flying Tigers and Sands of Iwo Jima; and |
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WHEREAS, Wayne was an avid supporter of the United States |
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military and toured bases and hospitals in the South Pacific in 1943 |
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and 1944 with the United Service Organizations; and |
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WHEREAS, In The Alamo, his first film as a director, John |
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Wayne played the role of Davy Crockett; the film won an Oscar |
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nomination in 1961 for Best Picture; Wayne also directed and |
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starred in The Green Berets, which was released in 1968 and which |
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was set in Vietnam; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the course of his acting career, John Wayne |
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practically invented the Western hero by combining rugged |
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masculinity with the courage to stand up to authority when |
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necessary, the strength to match any opponent, and the |
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determination to prevail against great odds; John Wayne endures as |
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a cultural icon, and his films continue to appeal to new audiences; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby designate May 26 as John Wayne Day; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That in accordance with the provisions of Section |
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391.004(d), Government Code, this designation remain in effect |
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until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally |
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passed by the legislature. |