CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Dr. Andrew Johnson always was curious about the history of his employer, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
The school was founded in 1947.
Johnson, an associate professor of management at TAMU-CC for the last seven years, said when he arrived he couldn't find a book that highlighted the history of TAMU-CC. So he took it upon himself to do research for 18 months while working from home.
Johnson said he compiled newspaper articles and pictures to work on the 260-page book "The Island University: A History of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi."
“It’s been a great experience in terms of, you know learning about the people and learning how this place I call home in terms of employment and home in terms of building a life here in Corpus Christi," Johnson said.
Throughout his research, Johnson said we sometimes forget how deep the military roots are for the school. Especially with the presence of veterans on campus.
“The other is the community support,” Johnson said. "I think that the community has always known the value of having a university here and has pushed to make sure that one is successful and thriving."
Russell Wagner, TAMU-CC's executive director of alumni engagement, said it is important to document and research the traditions of the university.
“We are so thankful that Dr. Johnson took the time to write the book and is retailing future generations of the past, present, future of A&M-Corpus Christi," Wagner said.
Johnson said from his research, it has been great to see the community support and diverse group of people the university has brought together over its 75 years of history.
He said the profits from book sales go toward supporting the students at the university.
“They go into a fund that is going to be used to support student activities to promote tradition and pride which is really the reason why I wanted to write this book," Johnson said.
If you would like to purchase the book, click here.
