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Dan E. Kilgore collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: Coll-7

Over fifty linear feet of documents including newspapers, postcards, and memorabilia. General topics include Texas and South Texas, Mexican Americans, Mexico, ranching, county and city growth. The Kilgore Collection contains rare publications on Corpus Christi and the local area. Most of the first 30 boxes contain vertical files on South Texas, but there are also a few boxes with Edward R. Kleberg’s and Jack L. Baughman’s papers. There are local events pamphlets, various South Texas newspapers ranging from the early 19th century to the beginning of the 21st, scholarly publications, collected manuscripts, tourist/visitor’s information, and correspondence. Personal correspondence of Mr. Kilgore is scattered though out the collection along with announcements for events he spoke at and cards of condolence sent to his wife after he passed. There are also a few microfilm spools (unlabeled), a VHS tape (a KEDT documentary), a cassette tape of him speaking at TSHA in 1977, and dozens of photographs that require special attention. Many folded maps are scattered throughout the collection.

Dates

  • Unknown

Language of Materials

The collection is primarily in English. Some Spanish materials could be present.

Conditions Governing Access

This 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

50 Linear Feet

Abstract

Over fifty linear feet of documents including newspapers, postcards, and memorabilia. General topics include Texas and South Texas, Mexican Americans, Mexico, ranching, county and city growth. The Kilgore Collection contains rare publications on Corpus Christi and the local area.

Biographical / Historical

Original Bio: Daniel Edmond Kilgore was born in Dallas in 1921. Dan grew up during the Great Depression and suffered from polio as a child. He graduated from the University of Texas in 1943 and moved to Corpus Christi in 1946, where he began a successful career in accounting. He retired as a partner in Flusche, Van Beveren, and Kilgore in 1986.

In 1956, Dan married Carol Isensee of Clarkwood, Texas. They resided there and raised their three children: Nancy, Daniel, Jr., and Christopher.

A few years after moving to Corpus Christi, Dan began collecting books on Corpus Christi and Texas hsitory. Simultaneously, he began to pursue history as an avocation, becoming a founding member of the Nueces County Historical Society and the Nueces County Historical Commission. He also joined the Texas State Historical Association and served as their president from 1976-1977.

He not only collected Texas history literature but also produced it, authoring books, articles, and reviews as well as presenting to many local audiences. Through his literary efforts, he became a member of the Philosophical Society of Texas and an honorary member of the Former Texas Rangers Association.

Dan Kilgore passed away in 1995.

Alternate Bio: Daniel Edmond Kilgore was a South Texas lay-historian, author, and certified public account born in Dallas on May 16, 1921. Raised in Texas, he received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas in 1943. In the mid-1950s, Kilgore’s lifelong love of history began when he found two local history books at a Corpus Christi warehouse sale of unwanted items. Over the next three decades, he collected roughly 10,000 books and manuscripts on South Texas history and became the preeminent local history expert until his death on December 23, 1995, in Corpus Christi. In 1984, Kilgore transferred his vast collection of books, documents, maps, and postcards to Corpus Christi State University, now Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Mr. Kilgore was past-president of the Texas State Historical Association, past-president of the South Texas Historical Association, and a founding member of the Nueces County Historical Commission. His most famous publication, How Did Davy Die?, released in 1978, garnered national attention and a healthy bit of notoriety from those who lionized David Crockett. He also authored A Ranger Legacy in 1973 (for which the Rangers granted him an honorary membership in the Former Texas Rangers Association) and published numerous articles and book reviews in the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Arizona and the West, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, and the Cattleman.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift; 1984.

Separated Materials

Approximately 10,000 volumes were separated from the papers and cataloged. They can be found through the library's main catalog and are available in the Reading Room of Special Collections.

Status
In Progress
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections and Archives, Mary and Jeff Bell Library, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Repository

Contact:
6300 Ocean Dr.
Unit 5702
Corpus Christi TX 78412 United States
361-825-4500
361-825-5973 (Fax)