William H. Parker photograph collection

Collection

Identifier: Coll-126

Staff Only

The William H. Parker collection consists of several hundred color slides as well as black and white negatives taken by William Parker that cover a range of local topics including construction of the Harbor Bridge, the Bascule Bridge, the Port of Corpus Christi, Padre Island, the shipping and oil industries, the Wesley Seale Dam, the Corpus Christi Bayfront and Marina, North Beach, downtown Corpus Christi and its development, and related subjects.

Dates

1950-1999

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

This material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to taking precautions against infringement of copyright and respecting the publication rights of reproduced materials. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Any materials used should be fully credited with their source according to the example given in the Preferred Citation note. Requests for assistance with citations and images of publication quality should be directed to specialcollections@tamucc.edu

Extent

5 Linear Feet

Abstract

William Parker was a professional photographer who took photographs of Corpus Christi’s city scape, shipping and oil industries and South Texas coastal development from 1955 to 1991.

Biographical / Historical

William Hodge Parker was born October 20, 1928 to Charlette and Samuel Parker in Slater (Ballard County) in Western Kentucky. William H.Parker graduated from high school in 1946. He attended the Woodard School of Photography in Memphis, Tennessee, 1947-1948. He worked as a professional photographer in Cincinnati, Ohio during the late 1940s, where he did portraits as well as commercial subjects. From 1950-1954, Parker served in the United States Air Force and was in top secret aerial photography during the Korean Conflict. While stationed in San Antonio, Texas, he first visited Corpus Christi.

Seeking opportunity and a warmer climate, Parker moved to Corpus Christi in 1955. He worked in the camera department in Lichtenstein's department store and later managed Seitter's Camera Center for approximately ten years. Thereafter, he worked for twenty-three years at B.L. Guess Lighting Company until his retirement in 1990.

William Parker remained an avid photographer his entire life, showing in competitive salon exhibits in museums and art galleries around the country. Most important for Corpus Christi history, he took outstanding photographs of the local area from the time he first arrived in the mid 1950s. William Hodge Parker died December 4, 2012 after a long illness.

Arrangement

The collection is divided into three series:

Slides / Projector / Slice Canister Holders /

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift; 1999.

Processing Information

The slides were digitized and organized in the early 2000s. The finding aid was updated by Lori Atkins in 2021 and uploaded to TARO by Slyvia Sanchez in 2021.