Whereas Bruce Jun Fan Lee was born in the hour of the Dragon, between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., in the year of the Dragon on November 27, 1940, at the Jackson Street Hospital in San Francisco, California’s Chinatown; Whereas Bruce returned to his family’s homeland at a young age and experienced firsthand the occupation of Hong Kong by the Japanese during World War II and the subsequent hostility and war that shook the continent; Whereas Bruce was motivated to learn and master the martial art style of Wing Chun Gung Fu in order to gain self-confidence and overcome repeated instances of taunting, racism, and gang activity during his youth; Whereas Bruce’s athletic prowess, and his traits of self-discipline and determination, yielded him success in youthful competitions, including the 1958 Crown Colony Cha Cha Championship in Hong Kong and the 1958 Hong Kong Inter-School Boxing Championship; Whereas, in April of 1959, with only $100 to his name, Bruce boarded an American President Lines steamship and began his voyage back to San Francisco in the lower decks of the ship, demonstrating unbelievable courage and belief in America’s ability to prosper through hard work; Whereas Bruce understood the value of education and returned to the United States to fulfill the requirements for the equivalent of high school graduation at Edison Technical School in Seattle, Washington, in 1960, while bussing tables and washing dishes to support himself, subsequently enrolling at the University of Washington; Whereas Bruce continued his education at the University of Washington where he majored in philosophy having been inspired by his passion for Gung Fu to delve into the philosophical underpinnings of the arts; Whereas Bruce subsequently lectured on Eastern philosophy at local high schools and wrote many essays during those years that relate philosophical principles to martial arts techniques