H.R. No. 2410
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Family and friends are mourning the loss of Milton
John Norris, Jr., who passed away on April 20, 2011, at the age of
91; and
WHEREAS, Born in Burleson to Milton John Norris, Sr., and
Irma Ringo Norris on March 8, 1920, M. J. Norris graduated from
Texas A&M University in 1942 and was commissioned as a second
lieutenant in the United States Army; and
WHEREAS, Before shipping out for overseas duty in World War
II, he married his high school sweetheart, the former Winifred
Marie Chandler, on September 5, 1942, at Fort Benning, Georgia; the
couple later raised two sons and enjoyed 65 rewarding years
together, until Mrs. Norris's death in 2007; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Norris served as an infantry captain in the
Philippines, participating in amphibious combat landings at
Zamboanga and Malabang on Mindanao Island and later in the
dismantling of fortifications in the Kure area of Japan; and
WHEREAS, After his discharge, Mr. Norris earned a master's
degree in agronomy at Texas A&M University and embarked on a career
as a research agronomist and associate professor; over the course
of nearly four decades, he worked at the Bluebonnet Experiment
Station in McGregor and at the Texas AgriLife Blackland Research
and Extension Center in Temple, focusing on soil fertility, crop
production, plant breeding, and pasture grass development; a
frequent guest on area radio and television farm shows, he enjoyed
showing and discussing his various agricultural experiments; and
WHEREAS, In 1992, Mr. Norris received the Norwood Award and
the Burleson High School Ex-Student Association Hall of Fame Award;
in addition, the Heart of Texas Council of the Boy Scouts of America
presented him with their highest adult award, the Silver Beaver, in
recognition of his outstanding work as a scoutmaster; he also
served his community in his role as the president of the McGregor
Rotary Club and as a Sunday school teacher, lay leader, board
member, and chair of the board for his church; and
WHEREAS, M. J. Norris lived a rich and purposeful life
centered around his family and his work, and he will long be
remembered with admiration by all who had the good fortune to know
him; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Milton John Norris,
Jr., and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to
his sons, John Robert Norris and his wife, Kay, and William Milton
Norris and his wife, Janie; to his sisters-in-law, Mary Norris and
Florus Chandler; to his numerous nieces and nephews; and to his
other relatives and friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of M. J.
Norris.
Anderson of McLennan
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2410 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 30, 2011.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House