Whereas Carlos Ray Chuck Norris was born in Ryan, Oklahoma, on March 10, 1940, and passed at the age of 86 on March 19, 2026, in Hawaii;

Whereas, at age 12, Norris moved to Torrance, California;

Whereas, in 1958, Norris enlisted in the United States Air Force and was given the occupational specialty of air police, now called Air Force Security Forces;

Whereas Norris spent 1 year at an Air Force base in Arizona and then deployed to Osan Air Base in South Korea;

Whereas, while stationed in South Korea, Norris learned the disciplines of Judo and Tang Soo Do, eventually earning a black belt in Karate;

Whereas, in 1962, Norris was honorably discharged from the military and resumed Judo training;

Whereas, in 1968, Norris won his first Professional Middleweight Karate Champion title;

Whereas, in 1968, Norris made his acting debut in The Wrecking Crew;

Whereas, in 1972, Norris starred in his first major film, The Way of the Dragon, alongside Bruce Lee;

Whereas, in 1974, Norris decided to retire from martial arts after winning his sixth consecutive Professional Middleweight Karate Championship;

Whereas Norris continued to act in more than 20 movies, including Missing in Action,The Delta Force, and Sidekicks;

Whereas, in 1993, Norris made his television debut in the series Walker, Texas Ranger and starred in the series for 9 seasons;

Whereas, in 2005, Norris reprised his role as Ranger Cordell Walker, starring in Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire;

Whereas Norris started a charitable organization called Kickstart to provide martial arts training to middle-school students, teach them respect and discipline, and improve their self-esteem;

Whereas, in 1990, Norris created a new martial arts style called Chun Kuk Do;

Whereas, in 2001, Norris received the Veteran of the Year Award from the United States Air Force;

Whereas Norris paid his respects to veterans, oftentimes visiting troops overseas;

Whereas, in 2007, Norris was made an honorary marine by Marine Corps Commandant General James T. Conway;

Whereas, in 2010, former Texas Governor Rick Perry named Norris an honorary Texas Ranger, and in 2017, the Texas Senate named Norris an honorary Texan for his role in Walker, Texas Ranger;

Whereas Norris was known for both his inspirational and humorous quotes, including—

Whereas Norris leaves behind his wife, Gena, children, and grandchildren: Now, therefore, be it