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This bill would recognize May 26, 2016, as John Wayne Day.

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WHEREAS, John Wayne was 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 sustaining a shoulder injury from a bodysurfing accident in Newport Beach just prior to 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 Earps mannerisms for his roles as a cowboy; and

WHEREAS, The first film in which he was the leading actor 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, 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 a Vietnam-based movie, The Green Berets, which was released in 1968; and

WHEREAS, Wayne was an avid supporter of the United States military and toured bases and hospitals throughout the South Pacific in 1943 and 1944 with the United Service Organizations; he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1979, engraved with the words John Wayne, American encapsulating his entire life; and

WHEREAS, John Wayne was one of Newport Beachs most famous residents; he loved the area and was known as a regular guy around town, frequently hosting other famous Hollywood personalities. His beloved yacht, the Wild Goose, a converted Navy minesweeper now owned and operated by Hornblower Yachts is available for tours and charters out of Newport Beach; and

WHEREAS, In 1968, the University of Southern California established The John Wayne Scholarship Fund in his honor; and, upon his passing, in 1979, the John Wayne airport located in Orange County then named Orange County Airport, was renamed John Wayne Airport in honor of his achievements and influence, and a nine-foot-tall statute of him was raised at John Wayne Airport; and

WHEREAS, John Wayne was laid to rest in 1979 in his favorite place, Newport Beach, California, with a western-theme plaque depicting a cowboy on horseback; and

WHEREAS, In 1985, Waynes family founded the John Wayne Cancer Foundation to bring courage, strength and grit to the fight against cancer; and

WHEREAS, John Wayne was inducted into the California Hall of Fame by then Governor Schwarzenegger in 2007; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby recognizes May 26, 2016, 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.