Corpus Christi’s outstanding Del Mar College began life as “Corpus Christi Junior College” in 1935. It was created by the Corpus Christi Independent School District to provide 2 years of post-secondary education to Coastal Bend students. Corpus Christi voters had approved the creation of the college in a special election in July 1935.
The CCISD Superintendent, Dr. E. H. Hereford, was also the President of the junior college, and Marvin P. Baker the college’s first Dean. The new college was officially opened on September 18, 1935, when evening classes began on the campus of Corpus Christi High School. Enrollment that first year was 154 students. The faculty consisted of ten teachers and operated on a budget of $28,000. The college did not get its own campus until 1942 when it moved into a new building on Baldwin, and the name change to “Del Mar College” did not come until 1948. In 1951, Del Mar became a separate political entity, governed by its own Board of Trustees as the Corpus Christi Junior College District.
The popularity and growth of the new college was phenomenal. Classes were moved from the high school campus to the Education Building of the First Methodist Church in January 1938, and would remain there for 18 months while a new building was being constructed. In September 1938, the school moved into a new $20,000 building on Colorado Avenue and Fifteenth Streets, behind Wynn Seale Junior High.
Mr. E. L. Harvin was named the new Dean of the college. In 1946, Harvin became President of Corpus Christi Junior College, a post that he would hold until 1961.
By 1940, enrollment at Corpus Christi Junior College had risen to 369 students in day and night school classes. A major boost in enrollment would come with the construction of NAS Corpus Christi. Many of the 6,000 construction workers would enroll in night courses at the college, and the Navy was quick to partner with the junior college to provide courses for its future pilots.
Courses in aeronautics and physics were offered to men who hoped to pass the entrance exams for becoming naval cadets. The college had already outgrown its facilities on Colorado Avenue and the School Board called for a bond election to fund a larger building in August 1940. The bond was overwhelmingly approved by voters. The new, two-story building, constructed at a site on Baldwin at Ayers, was designed by architects Brock, Roberts, and Anderson and built by Hankes Construction of Robstown for $200,000. It opened on February 1, 1942.
The building would house all of the administrative offices of the college as well as classrooms, laboratories, an auditorium, and the library. The building had all of the latest innovations in education….including the new, revolutionary “green” blackboards! Tuition for a full year of instruction at Corpus Christi Junior College in 1941 was $110.50, all fees included. Individual courses were $25 per year.
By 1945, the college was offering courses that would lead to degrees in Education, the Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Dramatics, Law, Medicine, Engineering, Pharmacy, Nursing, Home Economics, Dentistry, Speech, Journalism, and Mathematics. The growing college decided to add vocational courses to the curriculum for those students interested in entering a trade rather than seeking a college degree. A $250,000 bond was approved by voters in November 1944 provided for construction of a vocational building and a new Gymnasium for the campus. The college also obtained 4 surplus buildings from Foster Field in Victoria. The buildings were converted into badly needed classroom space on the campus. A major jump in enrollment would take place in 1946 following the end of World War II and with passage of the G.I. Bill of Rights. Over 900 students, many of them war veterans taking advantage of the G.I. Bill, would enroll for the Fall semester.
In September 1947, the college fielded its first football team….the Corpus Christi Junior College “Vikings”. The team lost its first game against Texas powerhouse Lamar College from Beaumont, 19-6, but rebounded the following week to defeat Clifton Junior College from Houston, 20-0. The 1950 Del Mar team won 8 of 10 games and two bowl games. Viking football would continue at the school until 1960.
Corpus Christi Junior College would begin the 1948-49 school year with a new name…..Del Mar Junior College. The college would enroll over 1,800 students in academic courses, and 3,300 students in the vocational program. At a time when many junior colleges across the state were closing their doors, Del Mar was thriving. A $1.3 million bond for Del Mar expansion was passed by voters in 1949. It provided money for construction of a new $221,000 gymnasium, a new $337,000 library, a new classroom building, and a new $440,000 auditorium that would seat 1,900 people.
In October 1951, Del Mar College elected its first Board of Regents and was no longer under control of CCISD. Dr. Charles L. Clark became the first Chairman of the Board. In its first 15 years, the college had become one of the finest junior colleges in the State of Texas. For many of us who grew up in Corpus Christi, Del Mar was a logical and inexpensive way to earn college credits in what now has become one of the finest Junior Colleges in the country. The story of Del Mar’s growth and continued success coming in Part 2.
Robert Parks is a special contributor to KRIS 6 News. Parks was a history teacher at Carroll High School for 19 years and is now retired. His knowledge of Corpus Christi history makes him a unique expert in the subject.