History Timelines and Stories

Del Mar’s Valdar the Viking history started even before he had a name, creating the mythos of a Nordic traveler landing in Corpus Christi.  Beginning simply as “The Viking,” he was represented in yearbook art in a hyper-realistic gothic style, and the football team began using the Viking name in 1939. But there was no official mascot to represent the school.  In 2010 Rito Silva, then the Vice President for Student Affairs, with the College Relations Office led the charge of introducing an official DMC mascot to the campus and general community. The process involved focus groups with participants exploring…

The Texas Jazz Festival, held in Corpus Christi every October, is far more than just a festival. The Texas Jazz Fest has become a staple in our community, and a celebration of culture and music, where everyone is welcome. The Texas Jazz Festival started as a mere concert organized in November 1959 by the Del Mar’s Jazz Club, which was newly formed.  “We were flabbergasted that so many people showed up that night in the Harvin Center,” said Eddie Olivares, Jazz Club member, who spoke to Guadalupe San Miguel Jr., author of “Tejanos and the Making of the Texas Jazz…

Originally published in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times Aug. 15, 2019. Reprinted with permission Some stories just get better the more you dig. This one — the story of literary giant Ernest Hemingway’s visit to Corpus Christi — is a doozy.  In March 1959, the Pulitzer- and Nobel-prize winning author arrived from San Valley, Idaho for a brief overnight before heading to Key West and eventually Cuba. He stayed at the Sand and Sea Hotel on Shoreline Boulevard. Hemingway, shockingly, agreed to be interviewed by a reporter (he hated interviews). The reporter was an 18-year-old Del Mar College student on the…